


To Hear Your Voice

by kaorusquee



Series: RP stories [8]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Many feels in this one, Muteness, RP format, Street Urchin Eren, sex in the second chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-21
Updated: 2014-05-24
Packaged: 2018-01-26 01:04:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 33,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1669016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaorusquee/pseuds/kaorusquee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another rp between me, levierenlove, and therenyeager on tumblr. This one features a mute Levi and an Eren that lives on the streets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Again, we don't care about grammar and spelling. Hope y'all enjoy reading^^

'Levi! Levi, can you hear me?! I'm sorry; I'll go. I just... hope you can get better. It was nice knowing you. I... had a fun time.'  
'W-wait! No, please. Don't go. Don't... Come back!!!!'  
Levi bolted upright as the sounds of sirens invaded his mind. But it was all in his mind. He panted heavily, body tense and shaking. And yet, not a single sound escaped his lips.  
The raven-haired male was mute, had been since the accident. Countless doctors had told him there was no lasting damage, no reason for him to not be able to talk. But every time he tried, no sound came out. He often wondered if it was the psychological trauma as much as the physical that took his voice away from him.  
Still shaking, he slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom, undressing and climbing in the shower. It took several minutes, but the hot water eased the tension and slowed his shaking. He grimaced as he looked down at his body. It held an assortment of scars and a few burn marks from the accident. An accident that had happened five years ago. Obviously he was as healed as he was going to be.  
Once he was done with his shower, he dried off, dressed, and ate breakfast. Then he left the small flat he owned and took the train to work. Happily he had found a job that, while he didn't always enjoy it, he was still able to do despite not having a voice. Data entry was monotonous, but someone had to do it. And his coworkers chattered enough that his silence didn't seem awkward.  
The day was boring, as expected. If he could have, he would have yelled at the girl who made such an erroneous error that caused all their computers to go down. As it was, he gave her a glare that spoke volumes of what he wanted to say. She in turn had apologized profusely. Sighing inaudibly, he got on the train again to head home.

Eren’s miserable life began when he was ten, he might have been happy before then; but he couldn’t really remember any of it. He was sure he was happy with his mother before she died from that disease, but none of it came to him when he tried to think of it.  
He could only remember her dying, his father leaving basically right after and taking his sister. Apparently he was never anything to the man, for he just left him on the streets. And here he remained since then, he was - well, he didn’t know how old he was anymore. He hadn’t celebrated his birthday since then and the world was a scary and confusing place. He might have been 15, he might have been 20 for all he knew. And he didn’t know anything about what was happening to his body, in the world; things had advanced since then and he knew nothing about it.  
He wore this torn up hoodie for a long time, he found it laying around and wore it to cover his body; because apparently his body and face were appealing to people. He would often have people from rich to poor come and try to take him and do weird things he never learned about to him. All he knew was that he didn’t like it and he needed to get away. Unfortunately there was a few times people have…gotten away with it. People would take him home on the pretense of being nice to take care of him, but it would be a whole other story once he was there. He couldn’t trust anyone, no one on the streets or otherwise. He learned that the hard way.  
He had to survive off garbage and sometimes stealing from people passing by. Which he was up to right at this very moment, he was waiting for someone to go by his alleyway. He was going to snatch the next person’s wallet. Eventually, a short man walked by; he sneaked up behind him and stole his wallet easily before speeding off in a random direction - keeping his hoodie over his face.

Levi was tired when he got off the train. Staring at the computer screen all day, and the nightmare that had been true... it made him weary. As a result, he wasn't watching his surroundings as much when he was walking home. He didn't usually need to watch where he was going; in fact, he tried not to. There were too many homeless people in this town, and it made his heart hurt. He would have loved to help them somehow. But he was only one man, a man who did data entry for a living. He could afford his small, comfortable flat, but he didn't have enough to help everyone he saw.  
A flash of green caught his eye, and he stared at the tattered jacket on a retreating back. Shrugging, he proceeded home. Only when he got home and was removing his coat did he realize his wallet was missing. His eyes went wide and he searched frantically. But it was well and truly gone. *No!* He mentally screamed. *No, no, no!* He didn't really care about the money or his credit cards. Those could always be replaced. But... there were a couple of items in that wallet that were irreplaceable. A photograph, a ring, a certificate of death... those things meant the world to him and he had to find them.  
His eyes were frantic as he retraced his footsteps. People looked at him strangely as he searched every nook and cranny, but he paid them no mind. All he cared about were finding the items that remained of his life before the accident, and the one that had destroyed him.

Eren stared at the photograph and ring inside the wallet after he was far enough with it. His heart dropped in his chest, it must be nice to have had someone to love and to be loved - what did that feel like? He wished he could give back the items, but he wouldn’t be able to find the short man again probably. He felt horrible he took personal items, maybe he could keep them just in case. Now he was set on getting some food for himself, that was all he could afford with what he stole. Figured he didn’t find a rich man to steal from.  
He went into the convenience store, buying all he could and went back to his alleyway, stashing the food away behind the dumpster so no one else on the street could steal any from him. He munched on a sandwich, sighing in relief as his hunger died down. His stomach was previously eating itself since it was starving.  
He laid back, looking up at the bit of sky he could see between the buildings. This wasn’t really a life, but it wasn’t like he could kill himself; that was the coward’s way out he had to keep reminding himself of that. He would just live out his pathetic life until he died. 

They were gone. Levi sank to his knees inside his flat and wept bitterly. The only items he cherished were gone; he hadn't been able to find them. After a long while, he realized there was no use crying anymore. That person those had belonged to died five years ago, and the happy part of him went with her. He'd get his credit cards canceled in the morning; the bank had already closed for the day. That ring... he knew how much it cost. It was probably being pawned for food. He knew how bad people on the streets had it. Hopefully the money from that ring would bring someone a small measure of happiness. Dragging himself off the ground, he went into his bedroom, to sleep and to be plagued by nightmares.

Eren sighed heavily, eventually falling asleep in his little nest of thrown out clothes he had collected. The next day, he saw the same man walking to work; he was pretty sure it was him anyway. Same haircut and size, not too many around like him. He kept his hood around his face as much as he could, he never trusted anyone; this guy could grab him and do those things that were done to him before. He still didn’t even really know what it was that was done to him, he just knew it didn’t feel right. He shook his head, hiding himself as much as he could and stepped in front of the short male. “Here…I believe these are yours.” He shoved the ring and photograph into his hands before he started to walk away. “Sorry about that, I wanted your money…nothing else.” Then he ran off back into his alley.

His night had been horrible. The nights when he dreamed of fire, when he felt those flames touching his body were the worst. He'd woken in a cold sweat, and it had taken longer than usual in the shower to make the shaking stop. He used an automated system to cancel his cards, surprised when nothing had been charged on them. A stop to the bank later would get new numbers for him. Then he ate and headed for the train station.  
He blinked when the person stood in front of him. He recognized the tattered jacket; it was the green one he'd seen the previous day. He couldn't see the person under the hood, but the voice was masculine. He stared in shock as the items he'd been searching for were returned. Staring fondly at the picture, he almost didn't see the male take off running. *Wait!* He mouthed, but no sound left. *Argh, how am I supposed to thank him when he can't hear me call out?* Work be damned today; he wanted to catch up to the male. Shoving the items in his pocket, he took off after the green-clad beggar.

Eren was in his alley, getting ready for another day of surviving the streets and possible boredom. When he heard someone following, he turned around to see the short man behind him and he damn near panicked and ran to the back of the alley. Damn it, dead end; he forgot about that and he had been living here for practically his whole life. He tripped and lost his shoe as he tried to go around the man. He sighed heavily, this wasn’t his day.  
"…Don’t hurt me, I can give you all the food I spent to make up for the money I stole! Please don’t do that thing with my body…it’s not that great under this! It’s a mess, don’t hurt me!" He whined, laying on the floor and rubbing his ankle; he probably hurt it. The short male looked dangerous with his squinty eyes, he was probably a tough thug ready to kill him or something.

Levi chased the male into an alleyway, a dead end to be exact. When the beggar lost his shoe and tripped, something about the situation was so comical that laughter erupted from his mouth. He doubled over, shaking and laughing helplessly. Not a single sound came from him but it was obvious he was laughing. Once he calmed down enough, he reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a pen and notepad. 'I haven't laughed like that in five years.' He wrote. 'Thank you. What's your name?'

Eren stared at the man, was he laughing at him? Why wasn’t there any sound coming out? Was it silent laughter? He was further confused when the other took a pen and notepad, writing down words. Was he unable to talk? He didn’t know if he should feel sorry for him or not, what was it like not being able to speak? Then again, he never really had any opportunities to speak himself; so it wouldn’t be so bad for him when he thought about it. He stared at the words for awhile, it took him a bit to understand what was said. He just barely understood writing, he wasn’t ever in school or taught too much because of his mother’s sickness and then her leaving them for heaven or whatever. “Five years, huh? I don’t even remember the last time I’ve laughed…I’m Eren.” He told him wearily, why was he interested in him? Was this another trick? He rubbed his ankle and stared at the other nervously.

Levi smiled; when Eren had fallen his hood had come away from his face. He was dirty, but the color of his eyes was beautiful. If he filled out, Levi thought the male might be good-looking. He tapped the pen against his mouth, thinking. Couldn't he help just one? It was something she would have liked. It would give his life a purpose. 'I am Levi.' He wrote out. 'Let me look at your ankle.' He frowned at the male's expression and added, 'I won't hurt you.'

Eren stared at him for a long time, so many had told him that and it was never true. He was either robbed of what little he had or beaten, or even worse. He grit his teeth, something was telling him to trust this guy as he stared back at his ankle. “Okay, don’t try anything funny…I have a knife.” He really did, and he was not afraid to use it to defend himself; he had already a few times. He sat back away from his ankle, letting him check it like he wanted. Maybe he knew medical stuff and could help him out.

The statement made Levi hesitate. Should he really even be attempting what he was doing? Stepping closer, he gave Eren a considering look and then knelt down by his foot. Part of the problem was the shoes the male had been wearing. They were obviously too big and were falling apart. The one still on his foot had nearly split in half. And Eren wasn't wearing any socks. Extending his hands, he gently picked up the male's injured foot.

Eren whimpered slightly, it appeared the other was so far honestly caring about his foot. He relaxed slightly, still tense since he was hurt. “…I think I might have sprained it, or maybe worse…it really hurts.” The younger squirmed, even moving it the tiniest bit caused sharp pain to shoot through his leg. Some tears started to fall, he looked away not wanting to show weakness to a stranger. “It’s fine, it will heal eventually…I hope.” He sighed shakily through his tears.

Levi frowned again. The ankle was purpling a little and definitely swelling. Even if it was just a sprain, it was a bad one. And it was his fault this had happened. He sighed inaudibly and scribbled words on his notepad. 'I only wanted to thank you for returning my things; I didn't mean for this to happen. Your foot needs ice and care, something you won't get here.' He paused and then continued writing. 'Let me take you home.'

Eren squinted at the words, his eyes widened and they even seemed to change color as he tried to back away. “N-no…everytime I go home with someone…it’s not what it seems…” He shook his head violently, tears still streaming down his face. “I…I don’t want that done to my body again!” He shrieked, shaking. “Please…don’t hurt me…don’t use my body in that way!” He choked on his words multiple times, trying to bring the hoodie over his face.

His eyes widened at Eren's words, and he shook his head rapidly, hands fluttering. 'I don't want that!' Levi wrote, shaking in disgust and anger. 'That's not why...' He huffed, reaching for the male's uninjured foot. 'Look; your ankle is hurt because of me. At least let me take you home until it heals. I'm not going to do anything like... eww.' He struggled to write the words. 'As you said, you have a knife. Keep it with you. I don't want your body.'

Eren was both relieved and slightly insulted as he slowly read the words. At least one person would take him home and take care of him, hopefully - he could have put it down more nicely though. Suddenly he was self conscious, but he waved that off. No reason to even care what his body looked like in the first place; or how it effected others. “Fine, I’ll go with you…and I will keep my knife in my pocket, just in case.” He looked down at his leg and wondered how the hell he was going to get there in the first place.

Levi heaved another sigh. What he was doing would almost certainly get him killed. 'You aren't walking on that.' He wrote. 'Knife me if you want, but I'm carrying you home.' Pocketing his pen and notebook, he turned his back to Eren, offering it to the male. He turned his head to glance back at him.

"….You are different." Eren commented in awe, still shaking from the pain. He eyed the back for about a minute before managing to crawl onto it, wrapping his arms around Levi’s neck, and doing his best to wrap his legs around his waist. He couldn’t do it with one of his legs since it was damaged, he had to rely on his arm strength mostly and try to trust that this man wouldn’t drop him.

A small smile lit Levi's face as he stood. He staggered under Eren's weight; he hadn't carried anyone this heavy since... he didn't want to think about that. Swallowing hard to push away the memories, he slid a hand carefully under Eren's injured leg to support it. The other went under the male's ass. Not to feel it up; it was to make sure the beggar wouldn't fall off. Leaning forward, he began walking. It took a bit longer to get home, since he had to go slower, but they eventually made it to his flat. Walking up to the door he stared at it, perplexed. His key was in his pocket; how was he supposed to get at it with his hands full of injured male? He turned his head, trying to convey what Eren needed to do.

Eren flustered slightly, who wouldn’t if their ass was being touched, no matter the reason? Especially when it was by someone attractive, he couldn’t help but think those thoughts before he shook them away. He wasn’t used to such thoughts, never had them before and they scared him. He focused instead on trying to stay up, this Levi was helping him a lot - it was unusual. Once they got to what was obviously his place, he seemed to freeze. He raised his eyebrows, wondering what was up until the other looked at him. “Oh, the key?” He saw him look down at himself. “Your pocket?” He stretched his arm down, luckily having long enough arms to reach the key fairly easily, then he reached the keyhole as he leaned over the shorter male; twisting it, he heard it unlock.

'Thank you' Levi mouthed, carefully turning until he could open the front door. He walked through, using a foot to close it behind them. Then he hesitated again. The male was filthy; putting him on the couch would be best, but he would no doubt leave dirt there. Deciding he'd just clean it later, he crossed the room and very gently set Eren on the couch. Then he went into the kitchen for some ice. Returning with ice pack and towel in hand, he knelt and wrapped both around Eren's ankle. Pulling his notebook out again, he wrote Eren a new message. 'Keep that on for a few minutes. It will help the swelling. I'm going to find you something to eat, something better to wear, and draw a bath. You look like you've lived in that rag for years.'

Eren was still in an incredible amount of pain as he was set down on the couch, he tried to distract himself by focusing on the comfort of the couch. It was much better then his pile of clothes outside, as he looked around he noted that of course, everything was better then his home in the alley. When Levi came back and put an ice pack and a towel around his leg, he hissed in pain. He was distracted totally when the man then offered him more things. His eyes seemed to change color again as they widened and stared at him for awhile. This male carried him home, hasn’t tried anything and was offering him more care? This simply couldn’t be real. He almost wanted to cry for a whole other reason now, he looked away; deeply warmed by Levi’s care. He had never felt such a thing before, another human’s kindness. He thought they were all monsters. “T-thank you…you don’t have to do all this, you don’t even know me!”

Levi tilted his head in agreement. 'That is true, but...' He motioned around the house. 'I have comfort to give. I... maybe I just want someone to talk to.' He smiled at his own joke. 'Other than work, I've done nothing productive for five years. I would like to help everyone, but I can't afford it. At the very least I can help you.' Standing, he walked into the kitchen to find the food he said he'd bring.

Eren smiled warmly, fighting back tears after reading the words. He really felt a strong affection towards Levi right now, wither it be gratefulness or sudden attachment. He wouldn’t know, he had never experienced these things - or was taught about them. He felt oddly lucky for once, having this kind hearted man; helping him of all people. He watched him search through the kitchen and he almost forgot about his pain.

He frowned; what could he give someone who was obviously starved? The male would need something light. Finally he heated up some tomato soup, scooping a small amount into a bowl. He took it back into the front room along with a glass of water. Sitting carefully, he reached for his notepad. 'Eat slowly. If it stays down, you can have more after your bath. And don't spill any on my couch.' Then he stood again, leaving the food and water with Eren as he headed toward the bathroom to draw a hot bath.

Eren thanked him again, he took the light meal and tried to eat as slowly as he could. It was hard to do so with a hot meal laid in front of him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten to eat something warm. He wondered why he had so little, he didn’t understand; but he wasn’t going to complain. A meal from someone was a blessing, and he did his best not to make a mess. After he was done, he looked down at the couch; mess free. He was glad he had managed to keep things clean, he waited for Levi to come back as he drank his water down.

Levi came back, noting with approval that Eren had finished the meal. Clearing off the dishes and setting them in the sink, he returned to the male. 'The water is hot and waiting for you. But you aren't walking on that foot yet. I'll carry you. But... unless you plan on getting in the water clothed, you'll have to let me see what's under that rag you call a jacket.' He frowned then added. 'I really won't try anything with you. But take your knife if it makes you feel better.' Then he rocked back to wait for Eren's response.

Eren leaned over to read the words carefully when it was shown to him. It took him awhile as usual to sound it out and get what he was saying, blame his lack of education for that. “O-oh…” He thought about it long and hard, wrapping his arms around himself. So far, this gentleman had been nothing but nice to him; never once touching him or looking at him with that hungry stare he had seen in the others. “…Alright, I trust you.” He found himself admitting. He took off his hoodie nervously, wrapping his arms around himself again once it was off. He tried to take his pants off, but he couldn’t do that all the way; so he was laying there, mostly naked as he tried to kick his pants off, just hurting himself in the process. “Ow, ow, ow!”

There was almost pity in his eyes when Levi realized Eren couldn't read very well. Obviously the kid had had it rough. When the hoodie was removed, he resolutely stared at Eren's eyes, determined to show the male how uninterested in his body he was. But when the male started crying out in pain, he huffed and looked at the pants that were causing the problem. Moving slowly, he carefully maneuvered the pants off Eren's injured foot.  
At that point he couldn't help looking. No shirt, no boxers. Not unexpected, but it meant the male had suffered through being cold. His eyes raked the body once. It, like everything else, was filthy, and Levi thought he saw a few scars under the dirt. Eren's ribs were showing, but he had a nice enough body. He could guess how confused he must be to see the disinterest on Levi's face. Scooping the male into his arms and trying not to stagger, he walked into the bathroom and lowered him into the tub.

Eren was indeed confused and surprised at Levi’s disinterest; it almost hurt for some reason? He didn’t understand that at all, he should be relieved the man didn’t want to take interest in him in that way. He sighed heavily, he really didn’t understand much of anything. When Levi helped him out of his pants, he thanked him and gave a little startled sound of surprise when he was lifted into his arms.  
When he was lowered into the tub, his whole body relaxed. He couldn’t remember the last time he got the chance to bathe in hot water. He would probably get to use soap and shampoo - he never had any of those luxuries before this. He thanked Levi again, probably for the tenth time. He leaned his head back against the tub, it felt really good to be in hot water again and to be getting clean. 

Levi grimaced as his sleeves got wet. Unbuttoning his shirt he shrugged out of it, leaving him in a simple tank. He knelt by the tub, watching a look of bliss cross Eren's face. Smiling and feeling good for helping the male, he tapped him gently on the arm. He pointed to the soap and shampoo. Once he was sure Eren saw them he stood and went in search of clothes that might fit the beggar.

Eren stared at Levi as he left, thinking he looked good in that tank. He felt weird once again for thinking such thoughts. He got the soap and began to scrub it all over himself, so relieved to finally be properly cleaned. After he washed himself off, he shampooed his hair up really good until he washed that out as well. His body felt so soft now, and he could see his actual skin color now. He waited for Levi to come back as he relaxed against the tub once more.

Digging in the corner of his closet, he unearthed a box of clothes he hadn't worn in a good number of years. He knew some of them were baggier, so something should fit the male. Opening it, he pulled out a pair of jeans and a large sweatshirt. They didn't smell too bad for having been in a box for years. Holding them up, he decided that they would indeed fit Eren. At least, until the male started putting on weight. Satisfied, he headed back into the bathroom, pausing at the door. He wasn't sure he wanted to interrupt the contentment Eren was obviously feeling.

Eren heard footsteps approaching and then heard them stop, he blinked his eyes open and stared at the door. “You can come in, I don’t mind.” He informed the male on the other side of the door. He was thankful once more that Levi was respecting his space or whatever he was doing; this guy was seriously just too nice. There should be more people like this, he mused to himself. “I can actually see my skin color!” He called out, laughing slightly. The noise startled him, he hadn’t laughed since he was ten; Levi was really making his day possibly the best day ever - minus spraining his ankle.

Levi chuckled soundlessly, opening the door. It was nice to hear the male laugh. It told him this really was a good thing he was doing. Setting the clothes on the toilet seat, he knelt down next to the tub again. Eren was right, he realized as he looked down at him. His skin was visible, proving to be a light tan. Now that the dirt was washed away, he could see that he actually did have scars. Frowning, he reached out to touch a puckered one on Eren's abdomen, eyes filling with curiosity.

Eren watched him as a hand inched closer to his abdomen, touching one of his scars. He cringed and looked down at it for awhile before looking back into Levi’s eyes. “…A lot of people, rich or poor have taken me home - or even done it on the streets. I’m not sure what it is they are doing to me, I just know it’s violent and I don’t like it. They put their private parts in me…they threaten to hurt me more if I don’t stay still. I don’t understand why people do this…” He wrapped his arms around himself.

The male pulled his hand back slowly, a dark look on his face. Leaving the bathroom to fetch his notepad, he returned to Eren's side. 'Humans are disgusting.' He wrote. 'They like to inflict pain. They used you like a prostitute... but I bet they didn't pay you.' He looked at the scars again. 'Or worse, since prostitutes don't get mistreated.' He bit his lip, hand shaking with anger. 'I won't use you like that, so don't worry.' About to show it to Eren, he felt he had to write one more thing. 'When you find the right person, sex can be enjoyable. They'll be able to get you past this.' He held the notepad up.

"Right person? Sex? You mean….people do that for enjoyment?" He couldn’t see how that could happen for the life of him. "This person would help me get past this? I don’t think there is such a person for me…who would want someone on the streets? I was abandoned by my own father, people dump me after they’ve used me…there is no such person." He looked over at Levi wearily, thinking about how he was the only nice person; did that make him the right person? He didn’t really get the true meaning behind the man’s words so he could be mistaken. 

Levi stared at him. Abandoned by his father? How...? Why...? He scribbled furiously. 'How old were you when you were abandoned? For that matter, how old are you?' The eyes seemed ageless, the body could be teenage. Or he could be even older, since malnutrition had to take a toll on the male's growth.

"I was ten, it was 2005…I don’t know how old I am anymore, or what year it is." Eren admitted, looking away for a moment before looking back at him. "I’m not telling you any of this for you to take pity on me, I just felt I owed you something…and the only thing I can give you is my lame ass story." He pretended to be interested in his skin again as negative thoughts started to go through his head once more. He wished he could stay with this nice person, but he would probably be kicked out soon.

Levi thought. If the male had been ten in 2005... 'It's 2014. So you're nineteen. Or you will be, depending on when your birthday is.' He sighed. 'I'm sorry you had to go through that. You can... stay as long as you need. Just don't steal from me. If I can afford it, I'll get you the things you want.' He'd have to teach the teen so many things that he should have already known. Well, he did want something to do with his life. Looks like he'd found it.

Eren stared at him for a long time. “W-what? You’d really let me stay with you? Also, I’m nineteen? It’s been a long time out there then…but, are you sure I won’t be a burden to you?” The big teal eyes looked up at him. “I…can’t ask for much, just me being in your house with your food is enough. Oh, the food I brought with your money is behind that dumpster…you can have it back.” He fidgeted in the water, the water that was steadily growing cold.

Levi winced at the mention of the dirty food. 'Leave the food for those who need it. You'll have plenty here.' He took a breath. 'Yes, you can stay as long as you want. I might to be able to help everyone, but I do have the means to help you.' He slipped a hand into the water. 'Time to get out.'

Eren nodded, smiling brightly. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” The teen stood up in the bath, stepping out before he remembered his hurt ankle and went tumbling onto the floor. “Shit! Shit! Ow!” He whimpered and held his leg, he probably had a bruise now too. Way to embarrass himself in front of Levi and hurt himself further.

The male's eyes widened. He checked briefly to make sure Eren was okay, using gentle hand movements. Finally deciding he wasn't serious hurt, Levi shook his head and carefully helped the male upright, making sure he kept his weight off the ankle. He helped him towel dry and dress. Looking at Eren, he decided those clothes looked better on the teen than they ever had on him. Once that was done, he held out his arms, offering to carry the teen again.

Eren thanked him once again, he couldn’t really thank the man enough for taking care of him. He eyed the arms held out for him, nodding and allowing himself to be picked up again. Once he was in his arms, he threw his own around Levi’s neck without thinking; embracing the smaller male. Then he kissed him on the cheek, blushing slightly afterwards. “Sorry…just, no one has cared before and I’m really grateful you are giving me a life..” He smiled shyly. 

Levi blinked, mouthing wordlessly at the kiss to his cheek. His own face heated up. Swallowing, he carried the male back to the couch. Then he went for his notepad. ‘How do the clothes fit? And would you like some more soup?’

He sounded out the words before he nodded to Levi. “They fit nice and comfy! It’s nice to have clothes that aren’t itchy and dirty, thank you very much. And…I’d love more soup if it isn’t too much trouble.” He fidgeted with the sweater, loving the texture. 

Levi nodded, another small smile on his face as he walked to the kitchen. Having someone else in the house was turning out to be a very good thing for him. He heated up another bowl of soup for Eren, putting just a little more in it since the teen had kept the last bowl down. Filling another glass of water, he took both in to Eren. Then he went to grab another ice pack, wrapping it gently around Eren's ankle.

"Thank you….I’m saying that a lot, but it’s all I can do is thank you from the bottom of my heart." Eren smiled sweetly at the male as he wrapped the ice around his leg, flinching just a bit as he ate his soup. He looked around the flat, this was going to be his home too now. His heart was nice and warm at the thought, of having someone that would actually care he existed. Someone nice enough to give him a place in his home. He couldn’t stop looking over and smiling at him every few bites.

He nodded again, watching the male to make sure he could keep everything down. When he met Eren's eye for the umpteenth time, he flushed and looked away. He wasn't used to getting that much attention from anyone. It made him a little warm.  
Now that things were calmer and he didn't have to go in to work, his nightmare-ridden nights were catching up with him. His hold on the ice started to slacken as his eyes tried to close on him.

"Ah, Levi…you look tired, you should sleep. I’ll be fine, I can sleep on this couch, it’s way more comfy then my pile of clothes outside." He smiled again at him, patting his shoulder. This was the first time he ever concerned himself with another being’s health, no wonder since he had helped him so much. He deserved rest and kindness.  
"Don’t worry, I won’t steal anything or do anything like that. I’ll be nothing more then…another person in the house." He didn’t know what else to say as he set his empty bowl on the table in front of the couch.

He jerked awake when Eren started talking, feeling sheepish for having almost fallen asleep. Reaching for his notepad, he tried to explain. 'I... have nightmares. I don't sleep well. Sorry.' He tried to cover a yawn. 'Maybe just a short nap. If you need anything call for me.' He waited for the male to make sense of the words.

He nodded after he sounded out the words once more. “Go ahead.” He smiled and rubbed his shoulder for a second before pulling the hand back with a small blush. He didn’t know what he would do while he waited, but then again; he never did anything on the streets besides from walk around and stare aimlessly. He had gotten used to just spacing out and just imaging things, he could always do that again.

Levi considered the male momentarily. Reaching under the table next to the couch, he pulled out a couple of books. 'You might try reading more.' He wrote. 'Or watch TV. Both of which I know you didn't have on the streets.' He handed Eren the remote, hoping he'd be able to figure out how to use it. Waving a hand tiredly at the male he walked into his bedroom, where he fell face first onto his bed and promptly fell asleep.

Eren waved at his mute savior, thanking him once again. He eyed the books, he really did need to learn to read better - but he really wanted to try the TV out. Of course there was TV back in 2005, but he could barely remember any of it. He pushed the ‘on’ button and proceeded to watch TV once he figured out how to change it to something he liked. He made sure the volume was low to give Levi the chance to sleep.  
Half way through he started to space out anyway, out of habit; just this time it was about something meaningful. He was wondering about Levi’s life, why was he mute? Was his voice-box broken or did he just choose not to talk? And what happened to that girl in the picture? He was obviously married before, something must have happened and that’s why he didn’t talk. It was too bad, he really wanted to hear what he sounded like. He sighed heavily and leaned back against the couch, even if he did lose her - it must have been nice to have someone like that all, he was lucky to know someone like that, even for a short time.  
The teen would never have someone like that, that was for sure…

Levi dreamt. At first, his dreams were pleasant, of a time long ago when he was happy. A time when he'd thought he'd be with the love of his life for eternity. But, as was typical, his dreams progressed into darkness. He was drowning in pain; he was burning. Smoke lay heavy in his lungs, causing him to cough harshly. He had barely been able to pull himself from the wreckage before the car exploded.  
A voice talked to him, calling out words he never wanted to hear. When he had come to in the hospital and found out what had happened, he thought he would never stop crying.  
Levi's mouth opened in a silent scream. He thrashed in his blankets, feeling trapped, desperately trying to get away from the haunting memories of his past. 

Eren was in his own little land of depression, when he heard lots of movement from the other room. Should he try to go check on Levi? Was it really his place to go see what he was doing? He could be having a private moment and he didn’t want to interrupt anything. Plus, it would be hard to get over there on an injured leg…  
The constant movement was bothering him, it sounded like someone was trapped and couldn’t leave their bed. Levi did say something about having nightmares, perhaps whatever happened to him was haunting him in his sleep now?  
"Screw it.." He mumbled to himself, getting up on his good foot. He hopped to the wall and used it as support to hop to Levi’s room. The bed luckily wasn’t too far from the door, he leaped onto the end of it and started to shake his savior. "Wake up!" He insisted.

Levi's eyes flew open, wide and panicked. He panted heavily, slowly realizing he was in bed. Dammit, that time the nightmare had been bad. He blinked, eyes locking on Eren. He'd almost forgotten the male was in his house with him. Acting before his brain caught up with him, he threw himself into the teen's arms, hanging onto his sweatshirt for dear life while his body shook madly and tears trailed down his face in an unending stream.

Eren froze, his savior was hugging him and crying hard. He didn’t know how to handle this situation, but he knew he had to help somehow. He owed a lot to this man, and it was heartbreaking to see him break down like this. Whatever happened must have broken and shook his world to the core, they were both broken and probably needed each other in some way or another. He only hoped he could help him the same way Levi had saved him. He rubbed his back and rocked with him, humming softly.

The rocking and humming were soothing to Levi, and he quieted after a time. Finally he took a deep breath and pulled back, wiping his eyes. Looking around, he searched for something to write on, since he'd left his notepad in the front room. He finally found some scratch paper and a pencil. 'That song... has always calmed me. She used to sing it.'

"…My mom used to sing that song to me too." Eren nodded, thinking for a moment. "This ‘she’ ….she is the girl in the picture, right? Is she the reason you lost your voice? I’m guessing something traumatic happened from all the evidence I’ve seen so far. Is your voice-box actually broken or…you just choose just not to talk? If you don’t want to answer any of that, I will understand." He felt this weird stirring of emotions in his heart that he didn’t like, it was sadness and something else - he didn’t understand a lot of the feelings he was experiencing, he was never taught a lot of things.

Levi's eyes filled with sadness and he looked away. After a long silence, he looked down at the paper he was holding. Slowly, he began to write. 'She was the love of my life. We met in high school, but I didn't ask her to marry me until we were older. We... we were only married a year. She was driving, and fell asleep.' His hands shook, but he resolutely continued writing, even though the writing got sloppier. 'Our car hit a semi and caught fire. We barely got out before it exploded. She...' He swallowed hard. 'She blamed herself for my injuries. She committed suicide while I was in the hospital.'

Eren sat there in silence for a long time, what did he say to that? It was worse then he ever imagined. He felt very sorry for the guy, he didn’t know if he could ever help him with that. “…I know to some extent how you feel. Did I mention my Mom died of a disease before I got thrown out into the streets? It may not be the same kind of love you can have with a girl…but, I know how it feels to lose a loved one.” He sighed heavily, staring at Levi a moment before looking away.  
There was something else bothering him here, and he didn’t know how to describe it or pinpoint the exact problem. There was something about the phrase ‘love of my life’ that was hurting his heart. When someone said that, didn’t that mean they could never love another? Why did it bug him that Levi said that anyway? He pushed it away, like he did with anything he didn’t understand. “…In any case, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Levi nodded, reaching out a hand to pat Eren comfortingly on the shoulder. Then he started writing again. 'I stopped being able to talk after that. At first, I thought I'd inhaled too much smoke and damaged my lungs. But multiple doctors have told me there is no physical reason for me to have stopped talking. I've tried, but no sound comes out.' The male shrugged. 'I've learned to live with it.' He looked at the teen. 'I'm sorry; I probably shouldn't have told you. But people usually don't ask. So thank you.'

"I’m glad you told me, I want to know all about my savior." He scratched his cheek sheepishly as they both pinked up slightly. "Now we know each other’s back story…and it explains a lot." So, Levi just couldn’t speak because he basically didn’t want to? That was just a shame, he really wanted to hear his voice. Was there anyway to get him to talk? Probably not if he hasn’t done it in years. Of course he could always try to make him so happy he spoke, but…if one lost their loved one, how on earth could they ever be that happy again? He shook his head, he was fighting a losing battle with this. He had no possible way of making the man happy.

At Eren's expression, a burst of silent laughter left him. His eyes twinkled as he wrote something else. 'I wanted something to do with my life, since I've been doing nothing more than working and existing. Helping you has done wonders, and it's only been a day.' He smiled and ruffled the teen's hair. 'I'm glad I met you. Thanks for returning those items to me.'

Eren’s eyes widened, he was helping…by letting Levi help him? This made his mind spin, but he couldn’t help but smile back at him; chuckling softly when his hair was ruffled. He was helping like he wanted to after all, he was making the other smile and laugh, something he apparently hadn’t done for five years. It was the same with him, he hadn’t laughed or smiled in a long time as well. Perhaps they were just good for each other, meant to be friends or something. His heart sunk at the word ‘friends’ for some reason - honestly, what was wrong with his body lately? “I’m glad I met you as well, you are helping me in many ways.” He found his face turning red for some reason as he leaned forward on his hand and smiled sweetly at the other male.

Levi blinked, trying to figure out why the teen was turning red. Shrugging, he looked around and realized they were on his bed. Oh, nightmare. Right. He sniffed his skin and grimaced; he was covered in sweat. He penned another message for Eren. 'I'm going to take a shower. You should ice your ankle again. Can you manage, or do you want help getting back to the front room?'

Something bothered Eren yet again, but of course - he didn’t know what it was. He sighed loudly before he realized what he did, he nodded; trying to cover up his annoyed noise. “I can hop back again, you don’t have to worry about me.” He insisted, and before Levi could protest with his notepad or anything; the boy was already on his good foot, hopping towards the door and down the hallway. He made it to the couch eventually with a big huff, laying back to watch whatever he could find on TV.

Levi blinked again; what had just happened? He got the feeling that Eren was upset for some reason. But for the life of him he couldn't figure out what. Deciding to shower first so he would feel more human, he retreated to the bathroom, a fresh change of clothes in his hand. He'd check on Eren once he was done. He moaned inaudibly as the hot water began to run down his back.

Eren flicked through the channels as unknown feelings were pushed back in his mind, they were starting to dissipate away from Levi anyway, what did that mean? He didn’t want to think about it anymore. He eventually stopped on some comedy show, snorting a bit at a joke. After awhile of watching, he couldn’t help but notice there was always something to do with couples in most shows. It got him wondering, how did two people choose each other out of everyone in the world? How did parents meet? How the hell do you know if it’s the right person? Did everyone find someone? He doubted he would…Why did this matter anyway? He didn’t need someone to be happy.

It felt nice to wash away all the sweat. Levi realized though that having Eren around really was a blessing. Sure he'd cried like crazy after the nightmare. But he hadn't vomited, and had been able to calm down a lot fast thanks to the teen's presence. Really, he was grateful. Once done with his shower, he dried and dressed. His usual attire was long pants and long sleeves; he tended to get self-conscious if people stared at his burn scars for too long. Hanging the towel up after using it on his hair, he walked into the front room.  
Eren was brooding. A quick glance at the TV didn't show him any reason for it. Going into the kitchen, he retrieved an ice pack. Then he knelt in front of the teen. One hand placed the ice pack on Eren's ankle. The other wrote on the notepad. 'What's wrong?'

"…The more I grow up, the more my body confuses me. Like today, I keep having these strange reactions around you and I don’t know what it is…" He shrugged, not sure how to explain any of what he was going through. "And now, for some reason I noticed people on TV and real life are always coupled and it made me wonder - how do two people find each other? What does it feel like? Why are people always coupled up? They seem so happy together…" He realized what he was saying and looked away.  
"I’m sorry, you had that at one point…I’m probably just bringing up sadness again. I’m just….so confused. Do people need the opposite gender to be happy? How do you know you found the right girl? Does it have to be a girl for that matter? Will someone ever be with me? This is called…love, right? What is love?”

Levi stared open-mouthed at Eren. He'd figured the teen didn't know much about anything, coming from the streets. But he'd hoped he'd had some education. Heat crept into his face. 'I... I might not be the best person to ask these things. But I can try to answer.' He took a breath, trying to figure out where to begin. 'Love is... something special. It's different for everyone and there are different kinds of love. It's a warm feeling. It's knowing you would be happy spending your life with a specific person, that you would do anything for them, even if you get nothing in return. It... can hurt, sometimes. But it's usually enjoyable.' He frowned at his paper. 'It doesn't have to be a girl. Some guys like other guys. Some girls like other girls.' He pointed to Eren's chest. 'Your heart will tell you what you prefer. It will just feel... right.' He blew out air, exasperated. 'Sorry; I'm doing a horrible job at explaining this.'

Eren took all of this in, thinking it over for a few minutes after he sounded all the words out. “A warm feeling…I have that for you. How do I know which love it is?” The boy pondered out loud, it appeared he didn’t know how to be shy or censored since he lived on the street as well. “I hope it’s not the kind of love I’m fearing it is…because you already had…” He paused, always afraid of bringing that up now. He coughed into his hand and looked around shiftily. “Uhm, maybe it’s the friendship kind? I don’t know, I need to know more about these feelings and how to tell them apart.” He sighed heavily, looking at the TV for a few moments. “Or even how to tell different relationships apart, I never had a friend or anything, so….life is confusing me at this point. I’m trying to learn about friendships and such from the TV, it all seems so nice to have someone there no matter what…are we friends?” He scowled at that word again. “Why does that word make me so angry when it comes to us?”

The color on Levis' face darkened. 'Um, unless it's love at first sight, you wouldn't have those feelings for someone after just one day. Gratitude maybe. I did take you off the streets.' He rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. Teaching Eren about feelings was difficult. Finally he turned on his laptop and got to the internet. 'The internet has anything you want to look for. It can tell you about the different kinds of love more than I can.' There was a pause. 'Your anger could be because you aren't used to letting people in? I don't know.' Standing to go get himself a glass of water, he allowed Eren use of the laptop.

"Yeah…maybe that’s it, all of what you said." Eren looked at the laptop, there were computers back in 2005 but he never used them and they have obviously gotten more advanced by then. It didn’t take him long to figure out how to navigate on the internet. It took him awhile though to read everything he found, some words he didn’t understand and would open up another page to look the word up. Eventually he got through all the reading material and sat back, processing all of this. "From what I gather…it can be a strong sense of gratefulness and wanting to be close like best friends or family. Or it could be love at first sight…I really hope it’s not the second one, I could never…" He looked around nervously before pretending to read some more to avoid saying the rest of his sentence. He could never step in Levi’s old love’s place, once you had only one love, it could never be replaced…right?

He drank the water in the kitchen, allowing Eren privacy to look up the things he wanted. He could hear him sounding out words, some of which made him blush. He'd never taught anyone about feelings before; by Eren's age, one usually knew all about them. But since the male had been on the streets since he was ten, it wasn't surprising. Still, he'd never thought he'd be doing this when he helped him. The situation almost made him want to burst out laughing. He tried to force himself to, but still no sound came out. Huffing silently, realizing it was suddenly quiet in the other room, he set his glass down and went to see if Eren needed anything.

Eren heard the footsteps and looked up. “Uhm, yeah…it’s either gratefulness and wanting to be such best friends we are like family…or something that can’t be returned.” He swallowed hard and looked away at that, why did he suddenly feel like crying? Oh no, it was really starting to look like the second option. “Shit, of course..” He laughed with no real humor to the sound, it was empty. “Hey, I’ll learn to push that aside…we can be friends, right?” He knew at the bottom of his heart he couldn’t push it aside and this was going to hurt like hell, he was already having problems not crying right there - but Levi was all he had, he had to make this work as friends.

*What is he... oh.* Levi looked away for a moment, sadness in his eyes. Sighing, he picked up his notepad. 'I only know a little more about love than you, so I can't really help with what you're feeling.' He fidgeted a little. 'From what you tell me, I'm the first person who's been nice to you. I wouldn't be surprised at all if you developed attraction for me because of it. But... it will probably fade, the more you learn about me.' Hesitating, he scribbled something else, then dropped the notepad in Eren's lap. He took the warming ice pack back to the kitchen while Eren read his words. His last sentence could get him into such trouble with the teen. Why had he written that?

Eren read everything out, still holding back the immense need to cry. Hopefully Levi was right, maybe he would get over it once he got to know him. He froze completely on the last sentence, his eyes widened and the sadness started to melt slightly. ‘Sometimes people fall in love more then once.’ Was written there, making his heart do strange things in his chest. Why had he written that? Was he giving off hints that there could be a chance? No, no…  
There was no way he could ever replace such an important part of Levi’s life, no way he could live up to such a perfect image. His heart sunk again, he really needed to get over this because it hurt way too damn much. He needed to focus on something…anything else, but his heart hurt too much to focus on anything. He wanted to run out of the house and never see the man again, maybe the pain would go away if he didn’t see him. He really needed to cry badly and he couldn’t with the other male there.

Levi's hand clenched tightly around the glass. Why had he written that? It was so stupid of him! But... for some reason the teen had looked really disheartened. He wanted that to go away, wanted Eren to feel only happiness. Wasn't taking him off the street enough? The male ran a hand through his hair; he was too old for this.  
An almost silent sob from the other room had him turning with a frown. Setting his glass down, he walked out to find Eren fighting tears. And they didn't look like the happy kind. He winced, reaching down to grab his notepad. He scratched out the words he'd written, penning new ones. 'There, it's gone. I only wrote that... because you asked if love is exclusive to one person. It isn't, not always.' He scratched his head. 'I'm really not very good at this. I don't have people I talk to. I kinda... lost touch with everyone years ago. Sorry. Did the internet not help?'

"The internet helped….it helped me realize my feelings. Feelings I’ll need to push aside because they are painful." He paused, thinking for a moment. "My first experience with love and it isn’t a good one, that figures. My life is just perfect." He scoffed. "Guess it’s not for me, I’ll need to transform those feelings into something else, if I can…"  
"I’ll need to distract myself, but how? There’s got to be something I can do to keep my mind off this. TV? Books? Anything not having to do with this horrible emotion?" He grabbed the remote and started to flip through the channels desperately.He eventually found a horror movie, his eyes widened. "Perfect…supernatural things, demons, ghosts…yes." He looked back at Levi, smiling sheepishly at him. "Sorry, I’m probably being a handful…I promise to get over you somehow."

He was really at a loss of how to help Eren when the teen suddenly started rambling. He understood most of it, learning Eren did indeed feel infatuated with him. It was all very confusing, for both of them. Levi wasn't sure how to respond, how to make things better. In the end he sighed and plopped onto the couch next to Eren to watch the movie. It was one he hadn't seen before, so he couldn't help his natural reaction of jumping in all the right places. Him not making a sound probably added to the eerie effect of the movie.

Eren was silent, jumping at the right parts as well; though he didn’t know if it was the movie startling him or Levi jumping next to him. Their silence was both comfortable and eerie because of the movie. He slowly started to find himself unconsciously leaning more and more towards the man. Soon enough his head was on the other’s shoulder and he was snoring by the end of the movie. He seemed at peace in sleep, no longer looking stressed or worried about the world or his confusing feelings.

When Eren's head touched his shoulder Levi was so engrossed in the movie that he flinched and cried out soundlessly. Realizing what had happened he tried to calm his racing heart as he looked at the teen. He was asleep; how did one fall asleep during a horror film? Blinking, he tried to figure out what to do. Should he move? But... Eren was sleeping so soundly, his face smoothed into a peaceful expression. The sight made Levi's heart soften. He smiled, trailing a finger down the teen's face. Catching himself, he dropped his hand. What was he doing? 

The touch on his face made him smile in his sleep for a bit before he slowly started to stir and realize what he was doing. This was not going to help his feelings at all, it felt too nice to be leaning against Levi here. He wanted to pretend to be asleep for a bit longer. Which he did, until a bit later he decided he needed to move because this wasn’t going to help him get over him. He blushed and pulled back, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, just…it was so warm and comfy, I’m not used to such comforts and I passed out. Plus, having some company for once is really nice..”

Levi shrugged, not able to respond with word since his notepad was currently on the other side of the teen. Using facial expressions, he tried to convey that he didn't mind. Stretching out his body, he stood and went to the kitchen, returning with a couple of glasses of juice. Sitting back down, he handed one to Eren, taking a sip of his own.

Eren took the glass of juice, gulping it down. “Thank you.” He murmured as he continued drinking from it as he watched whatever was on the TV now. Something about people with super powers and trying to save the world and fit in at the same time, pretty cool in his opinion. He leaned back, sighing softly. If this was going to be life from now on, it wasn’t so bad - a big improvement from his life on the streets.

He inclined his head, sipping from his drink again. His eyes unfocused as his mind wandered. Having Eren around was kind of calming in a way. It made him think of the other time he'd been happy. It was his turn to slip into sleep, without even realizing. His hold on his glass slackened and he slumped over without planning on it.

Eren looked over and smiled softly, he placed Levi in a more comfortable position on his end of the couch before he got back into his; without ever leaving the couch. Before he knew it, he passed out on his side of the couch as well. They spent the remainder of the night asleep on the couch, the boy snoring softly.

When Levi awoke, his first thought was that he was going to be late for work. Then he realized he felt a little cramped. Blinking open his eyes, he turned crimson when he realized where he was. Not only was he on the couch, sometime in the night he'd ended up tangled in the teen's arms. His mouth opened wordlessly; what had happened? Well, he really didn't have time to dwell on it; he had to get to work. He nudged Eren gently to try to get him to wake up.

Eren was confused when he woke up, something had nudged him and he was in warmth and not the chilly morning air. And his ankle hurt like all hell, he looked around and memories of last night ran through his mind. He blinked at Levi groggily, smiling slightly. “Hey, g’morning…” He stretched out before he realized how close they were and blushed like a mad man. “O-Oh…I..” He scrambled backwards, then he promptly fell off the couch. “Ow…ow…ow…” He whimpered, holding his ankle. 

Levi rolled his eyes, reaching down to carefully haul the male back up on the couch. Pulling the injured ankle into his lap, he examined it with gentle fingers. It was still swollen, but he knew it wasn't as bad as it would have been without ice. Glancing at Eren, he looked around for his notepad.

Eren whimpered a bit as he was hauled back up and his ankle was examined. his body was sensitive and prone to breaking and hurting easily because of his lack of nutrition. When he saw Levi looking for the notepad, the boy looked over at the table, picked it up and handed it to him, along with his pen. “Sorry, here you go…”

Levi stroked gentle fingers along Eren's injured foot. 'Without good nutrition, you won't heal properly.' He wrote. 'I'm going to make sure you get the food you need. Hopefully that will help your body get stronger.' Levi paused, tapping his face with the pen. 'I have to get to work, but I'll leave stuff out for you to eat. Ice your foot as much as you can.'

'I didn't think you'd steal anything. Just make sure you eat and ice your foot.' Standing, he reached out and ruffled Eren's sleep-spiked hair. 'I'll be home tonight.' He left the notepad with Eren while he went to get ready for work. He did so in record time, grabbing a bit of food to eat on the way. Waving goodbye to Eren, he raced out of the house. Only when he was alone on the train and on his way did he realize he'd slept the night without any nightmares.

Eren had waved goodbye with a warm smile on his face. Once Levi was gone, he hopped over to where the food was laid out. It was all things he could make easily, thankfully. He made himself a sandwich while standing on one foot the whole time. He hopped back to the couch after he grabbed himself an ice pack and settled himself on it, making himself at home with his leg propped up, the ice on his ankle. Thankfully there was horror movies on even at this time of day - and thus he spent the rest of the day only focusing on the world of horror, not letting himself think of anything else.

As expected the day proved to be rather boring. No one seemed to have even cared that he missed work the previous day. Well, if they were going to be like that... Then again, he never interacted with anyone he worked with. Maybe that's why they hadn't cared. All in all, it was a very dull day and he was more than grateful to get on the train heading home. He almost couldn't wait to see how Eren had fared during his day away.

Eren had really lounged the day away like he said he would, he really had nothing else to do with his ankle like this, so what else could he do? He ate a bunch, it was great to have food available to him all the time now. He could already feel his body starting to improve from taking better care of himself now that he could. His body decided to take another nap, to catch up for all the loss of sleep he couldn’t get out on the street.

He let himself in the house quietly. Then again, it wasn't like he could announce his arrival anyway. Walking in, he found Eren asleep on the couch. The teen looked so content Levi couldn't help but smile. He shrugged out of his jacket, putting it in the coat closet. Then he walked over to the couch, reaching out to run his hand through Eren's hair. Without thinking, he leaned down and gently kissed the male's forehead. 

Eren felt something and started to stir, it felt like someone touching his hair. Then there was something on his forehead. Opening his eyes just into slits, he could make out Levi was standing over him. Had he really just kissed his forehead? No, that wasn’t likely - maybe he was confused from just waking up. In any case, his face flared up and he continued to pretend to be asleep until the man was a bit away and he could pretend he just woke up, pretend he didn’t catch him in the act…if it did indeed happen. He stretched out, yawning. “Welcome back, Levi.”

Levi jerked back once he realized what he was doing. Wait; what was he doing? Appalled, his face turned crimson as he turned away. What had just happened? He heard Eren welcome him back. Willing his face to return to normal color, he turned and smiled at him. For now, he'd try not to think about what he'd just done. Maybe later, after he'd gone to bed. Searching for his notepad, he saw it on the other side of the male. Leaning over than him instead of walking around like he should, he grabbed it and then straightened to pen something to Eren. 'I'm home. You can sleep though; it is nighttime.' Then he showed it to the male.

Eren squinted and sounded the words out before nodding and yawning again. He hadn’t been asleep long before Levi came in, he was still slightly flustered from what just happened, that and the male had leaned over him a second ago. “Wait…are you sure? It’s not that late, is it?” His eyes were trying to close on him, but he just wanted to spend more time with the other male. Honestly he was on a secret mission to make the other talk or laugh, make some type of noise. It may be impossible, but he was going to try. “If it’s not too late we can watch TV again together…or something?” He wasn’t sure what two people did together anymore for entertainment.

Levi considered it. He didn't actually have to go to bed right now; tomorrow was Saturday and he didn't work on the weekends. But Eren looked like he was about to fall asleep where he sat. 'Are you sure? I was just going to shower and go to bed, but I can stay up. You look tired though. Sure you wouldn't rather sleep?'

"I could do either, I suppose…we can spend time together tomorrow then? If you have nothing else to do and it’s not a bother, of course." Eren picked at Levi’s sweater he was wearing, trying not to let the heat rise up to his face. Yet of course, it did anyway, he would just have to hope the man didn’t notice it and take it the wrong way. He would hate to scare him off with his feelings.

'It isn't a bother. I don't work on the weekends.' He was confused about the blush, but decided not to pursue questioning it. 'Tomorrow I will teach you how to cook a few things and I'll get you something other than my hand me downs to wear.' He looked at Eren's tired face. 'If you really don't want to go to bed yet, I can pull out a board game.'

It was really hard to want to go to bed when Levi was offering a board game now, he loved those things when he was little. “…I’d really like to play a board game with you.” He smiled brightly, starting to wake up. He was great at board games, he hoped he still had his luck attached to him when it came to games, it had been years.

Levi smiled, opening the coat closet again and pulling out a couple of games. Things like the game Sorry were nice, because they didn't require one to speak. And since Levi couldn't, it worked out well. Setting the games on the table, he looked at Eren expectantly. He was going to let the teen choose what they played.

Eren sat up more comfortably, looking at all the different games. He was pretty sure all board games didn’t require any speaking and that was great for Levi. Some of them he hadn’t seen before and was curious about, obviously they had invented new games or he just simply hadn’t heard of them before. He picked up one, ‘The Game of Life’ and read the rules and decided he liked the looks of that one. “Can we play this one?”

The one Eren chose required a little more interaction, but it should still be fine. Levi nodded and went about setting everything up. He glanced at Eren, but the teen didn't seem to want to go first, so Levi did. He chose to go the way of college because you usually got better jobs and houses that way. And with that, the game began.

Eren watched him set everything up and observed his first move. He figured he should follow suit since Levi knew what he was doing and went down the college path as well. It made him think about his own education briefly, but he shook his head, he didn’t need that anyway. He landed on a spot where he had to pick up a card. He read it out loud once he picked one out from the deck of cards. A bit later on in the game, he ended up being a police officer with a husband. He had blushed when he ad to pick someone to marry and put beside his piece in the car, having a perfect image of him and Levi getting married - he was so screwed.

Levi opened his mouth in silent laughter when Eren's character had to get married. The teen's face had been priceless. Clutching his sides as he tried to get his breathing normal, he moved his character, a doctor with a wife and a kid. He'd been a little wistful at first, when his piece got married. But things had gotten better when he watched each reaction Eren had to the game. He was able to keep any sadness at bay and really enjoy how fun it was to play a board game with another person. Now they were in a race to see who got to the end mansion first.

Eren was pleased Levi was amused with him at least, but he was pathetically jealous of the pieces on the male’s car. He almost left to cry over pieces on a board and he felt like such a little brat, but he was in love with a man that longed for his dead wife. This situation sucked, it hurt like hell. He was only reminded of it the longer he stared at the pink piece on Levi’s car. He swallowed and tried to suck it up and enjoy the rest of the game, and he really did have fun when he ignored that piece. In the end, it seemed Eren’s luck with games was still with him, for he had beat his savior. He grinned, normally he would have stood up and cheered, made a scene; but maybe he was too tired to fully celebrate this time.

Levi chuckled inaudibly, leaning back against the couch and yawning. He never had been good at board games, but he enjoyed playing them all the same. Smiling at Eren, he ruffled his hair, something else he was finding enjoyment in. Then he quietly began putting the pieces from the game back in the box. 

Eren was really liking when Levi would ruffle his hair, it wasn’t like he could ruin it, it was always a mop on his head. He smiled and helped Levi put the game away as best as he could. He would have helped putting the game away in the closet, but his ankle was still a pain, literally. “That was fun,” He commented, fidgeting with his sweater again.

'Yes.' Levi wrote. 'Are you wanting to sleep now or should we play another?' His eyes were drawn to Eren's hands playing with his sweater; the teen had rather graceful-looking fingers for having been on the streets for nine years. 

"I want to play another one, but I’m really tired now. We have a whole day tomorrow to do things together…so, I’ll see you then?" He continued smiling warmly at him before yawning and laying himself out on the couch again. "Goodnight, Levi." He murmured, closing his eyes.

Levi smiled, setting his notepad down. He took the other games back to the closet and watched the teen sleep for a bit. His heart felt warm when he looked at Eren. It was different than what he'd felt for his wife. But he now knew that Eren was making him feel again. And he wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Deciding he'd wait and see where this led, he pushed Eren's bangs back and kissed his forehead again, this time fully aware of what he was doing. Blushing faintly, he headed to his bedroom for some much needed sleep.

Eren woke up with tears running down his face the next day. He had a nightmare of his mother disease slowly taking her away, watching the moment she took her last breath. Then his father kicking him out onto the streets, watching all over again the horrible events of his life as people used and abused him. Then finally it got to Levi, this part never happened; but it was an obvious fear of his. The male kicking him out and telling him he could never love him, he couldn’t ever come close to his wife and no one would ever love him. Everything kept replaying around in his head, he shook and started to sob once he made sure Levi wasn’t in the room yet.

Levi woke with a yawn and a stretch. *Another good night.* He mused. It had been nightmare free. Seriously, having one teen in his house was doing this much? He'd have to find a way to thank him somehow. A sob reached his ears. *What the-?* Sliding out of bed, he threw on a shirt and then walked into the front room.  
The teen was really sobbing. From the looks of it, he'd been crying for a while now. It felt like a fist clenched around his heart as he watched. Moving swiftly, he sat on the couch and pulled Eren into his arms. Whatever was going on between them was set aside for the moment in order to give the teen comfort. He stroked the thin back soothingly as he nuzzled the male's hair.

Eren was surprised to feel himself being pulled into a pair of arms and his back was being stroked. He accepted it, needing it and buried his face into the man’s chest; just letting it all out. He remained like that for a few minutes before his body started to relax in the embrace, this actually felt really nice. This was what it felt like for someone to care and comfort him, it only made him fall harder for Levi.  
He eventually pulled back, looking into the other’s eyes. He wiped his face, his eyes all puffy and gross probably. He looked away, taking a deep breath. “Thank you…and I’m sorry about that, just had horrible nightmares of every bad thing that ever happened to me…and then my own fears of things to come.” He shook his head, just feeling horrible; besides from the small good feeling in his chest from the comfort he just received from his savior.

Levi gave him a concerned look, reaching for his face. Holding the teen's chin carefully, he wiped away the tears that remained. Then he looked for his notepad, finally finding it on the floor. 'Nightmares are bad; you don't have to apologize for them.' He stroked the teen's hair gently. 'Today we will cook and have fun. Maybe you won't have anymore nightmares after that.' He favored Eren with a small smile.

Eren actually found himself smiling, he never usually smiled so soon after a nightmare; Levi was really good for him. “I like that, thank you…hopefully I won’t after this.” He nodded, rubbing his eyes to get remaining gunk out of them. “So…what first? We cooking breakfast or something?” He looked down at his ankle, wondering if he could walk on it yet. The pain was fading, that was the only thing he was certain.

Levi nodded, frowning down at Eren's ankle. A few days of ice and not walking on it had helped. It was still bruised, but the swelling hand gone down. Holding a hand up to tell Eren to stay, he walked to the bathroom, returning with an ace wrap. Carefully, with gentle hands, he wrapped the teen's ankle. Not too tightly; he didn't want to cut off circulation. But tight enough to give him a little support. 'That should help a little.' He wrote out. 'You should still lean on me or the wall to keep your weight off it as much as possible.' He offered Eren a hand up. 'Have you ever had waffles?'

"Aahh, yes. I haven’t had them since I was little though." Eren took his hand, getting off the couch and steadily leaned against Levi; ready to walk with him wherever he guided him. He tested his bad leg on the floor, of course it hurt a lot; so he kept as less weight on it as possible. "Thank you." He murmured as a afterthought, it was amusing to depend on someone smaller then himself, he mused. "I’ll help the best I can with my stupid ankle." He chuckled. 

Taking the notepad with him would have been too much of a hassle. So he left it on the couch, wrapping an arm around Eren to keep him steady as they walked to the kitchen. Once there, he pulled out a cookbook and opened it to a waffle recipe. Motioning for Eren to hold onto the counter, he flitted around, getting out all the ingredients they would need to make waffles. Once that was done, he looked at Eren and then the recipe.

"…Oh, you want me to try to make this? I…guess I have to learn, don’t I?" Eren chuckled, it would be awesome to have Levi as a teacher. He sounded out the recipe and got to work, taking the ingredients, measuring them out accurately and following all the necessary steps. When he had a question, he would turn to Levi and ask; the man would do his best to explain to him with just his hands and pointing at certain things in the book. Finally he had it cooking, and all that was left to do was hoping it came out right.

Levi looked at the waffle maker as Eren filled it, touching the male's wrist when he'd put enough batter it. Then he rested against the counter to wait. The first waffle looked amazing when it came out. He watched the teen fill it again. Then he got a wicked look on his face. The flour was still out and Eren wasn't paying attention. Reaching for it, he threw some into Eren's hair.

Eren was proud with his first waffle, he was accomplishing something here. He was staring at the waffle maker when he felt something hit his hair. Reaching up and looking over at Levi revealed the man had thrown flour at his hair. He just stared at him for a few seconds before laughing and grabbing some flour, throwing it at him. 

A huge grin split Levi's face and he grabbed some more flour. What he was doing was messy, but it was the most fun he'd had in years. Grabbing flour in both hands, he reached toward Eren's hair, intending to smush it into the teen's messy locks.

Eren screeched and tried to get away, but with his limited leg mobility he ended up with more flour in his hair. “Why you!” He laughed, taking some more flour and mushing it in Levi’s hair this time. Soon enough they were both caked with white powder, the teen laughing his ass off. He looked around at the mess and shook his head. “I’m not cleaning this up.” He joked.

Levi could hardly breathe, he was laughing so hard. His eyes sparkled and tears of joy coursed down his face. The waffle in the pan was probably ruined by now, but they could make more. He gave the teen an amused look at Eren's statement, handing him the plate with the already done waffle. He set out some butter and syrup, pried the ruined one from the pan, and put batter in for the new. Then he looked at the mess they had made. A sound like an amused snort left him. Jaw dropping, he looked at Eren.

Eren was laughing along with Levi, he watched him make more batter for new waffles as they continued to laugh. He was putting syrup on his waffle when a snort caught him off guard. He looked up at the man as he was sitting down at the table. “Did you…?” His mouth opened and closed a few times before a wide grin spread across his face. “…I got you to snort! I made you make a sound!” It was working, his mission to get Levi talking again. This was a very small step, but it was a very big leap at the same time, he could do this!

Five years. Five years and so much heart ache since he'd made a sound, and one silly venture with a teenager had broken it. Opening his mouth, he tried to say Eren's name, frowning in dismay when no sound came out. Well, at least the sound had been a start. Making a few extra waffles, he put one on his plate and sat down at the table with Eren.

Eren was so elated, that one little sound had kindled hope inside him and he was convinced he could make Levi talk and laugh again. He may take awhile, but he already made a lot of progress in two days, making the man have silent laughter, smile and snort. He now had a purpose in this life, that was to make this poor man’s life better and so far he was actually succeeding. He dug into his waffles as he thought of this, smiling between bites.

He ate slowly, thinking that pulling Eren off the streets was better for him than he'd first thought. If the teen could make him make a sound in just a few days of being with him, could he make him talk? Levi didn't even know what his voice sounded like anymore. Once he was done eating, he gave Eren a bemused smile and gestured to the messy kitchen.

When Eren was done, he snickered and looked around the kitchen after Levi gestured to it. He pretended to look away and not see it for a moment. “I don’t know what you are talking about, it’s perfectly clean…don’t all kitchens look like this?” He laughed slightly a bit later. “Okay, okay…I’ll help you clean as best I can.” He decided to get the right cleaning utensils and get on his hands and knees, it was easier for his ankle this way and he would get the ground while Levi tackled the counters.

Levi rolled his eyes, turning it into a bit of a glare as Eren continued to ignore the mess. But it turned back into a smile when the teen agreed to help. Getting out some rags and towels and a bucket of water, he set Eren up with those while he carefully cleaned up the messy counter tops, as well as the sink. Once they were done, and the extra waffles were in the freezer, Levi wiped his forehead and grimaced. Walking slowly to make sure he didn't leave a trail of flour, he retrieved his notepad. 'We both need to bathe now.'

"Oh, we do." Eren chuckled as he looked them over. "You can go first….I’ll stand and watch TV, and try not to get flour on anything. I’ll balance somehow." He suggested since he wouldn’t be able to sit on the couch like this and he didn’t know what else to do. He limped over to the TV and started to flip through the channels, again finding some horror since everything else was about romance and he couldn’t handle it yet.

Levi darted after Eren, shaking his head, grimacing when some flour dislodged and floated the the floor. 'You first.' He wrote, tugging on the male's arm. 'I'll help you unwrap that foot and undress. I doubt you can stand long enough for a shower, so it will have to be a bath.'

Eren flustered, he couldn’t help it. The man had basically already seen him naked, but that didn’t make a difference. Now that he was aware of his feelings, it felt different. He gulped and nodded, it wasn’t like he could undress by himself yet, so he would need the help. It wasn’t like his body was any special anyway, it was skin and bones; probably disgusted the man. He limped towards the bathroom with Levi, taking his shirt off before he sat on the toilet and received help. Then he got into the tub once it was all set up.

Levi knelt in front of Eren once they were in the bathroom, carefully undoing the ace wrap. He checked the ankle to make sure the ace wrap hadn't caused any adverse affects, and then moved to get the water running for the tub. It would be easier to get Eren clean in a shower, but his ankle wouldn't tolerate that yet. Once the tub was filling, he used gentle controlled movements to help Eren undress the rest of the way, knowing anything faster might trigger what he'd been through on the streets. Finally done, he helped the flour-covered teen into the tub.

"Thank you." Eren smiled slightly at him once he was in the tub, finding the cloth and soap, instantly getting to the washing of his body. He made quick work of it, not wanting to be in here long. He hated looking at his skeleton of a body, and seeing all those scars never helped anything either. He then got to scrubbing his hair furiously with shampoo until he thought it was clean enough, rinsing all the suds out. He was about to get out when he realized it wasn’t a good idea a little too late, hissing in pain when he tried to put all his weight on his ankle. Good thing Levi had staid, he looked at him helplessly, embarrassed. "…Can I have some help out?" He would need help dressing again too, he hoped he wasn’t annoying the man.

He'd never seen or heard of anyone washing so quickly; was he embarrassed to have Levi in the room with him? He could have easily left. It was an issue they'd have to deal with, until Eren was able to stand on his own two feet again. Grabbing a clean towel, he placed it around the boy's body and gently helped him from the tub. Then he realized he didn't have anything for Eren to change into. Blushing, he pulled the teen into the front room. 'I'll have to find you some more clothes.' He wrote once he found his notepad. 'Do you mind waiting until after I shower? I can get you a blanket to huddle in.'

"Oh, yes…I don’t mind huddling in a blanket." He kept the towel around himself, luckily it was big enough to cover most of his disgusting body. He watched Levi disappear, leaving him alone with his thoughts for a few moments until a blanket was brought to him and he wrapped himself in it like a giant cocoon. His head of messy hair was only visible as he sat on the couch with his leg supported up on it. He turned the TV back on and continued watching the movie from earlier. "Thank you for everything, again." Eren smiled at his savior. 

Warmth flared in Levi's chest at Eren's smile. He leaned closer, running a gentle hand through the teen's hair. Satisfied the teen would be alright for now, he headed to the bathroom for his own much needed shower. He also bathed quickly, as a way to avoid looking at his scarred and burned body for long. And he wanted to find Eren something to wear. He was going to go buy him clothes, but he couldn't just stay huddled naked in a towel and blanket all day. Finishing his shower, drying off, and tying the towel around his waist, he went to search his closet for clothes for the both of them.

After Levi had stroked his hair went into the bathroom, Eren squeaked and buried his face in the blanket. That man wasn’t good for his heart, it was beating like he was just in a marathon. He shook his head and tried to focus on the movie, because his positive thoughts about Levi always went downhill after awhile; forever reminded that he had love and would never get over it. He glued his eyes to the screen and made himself get lost in the land of horror, where if there was a love story; it never lasted because they were bound to die.

He found another pair of loose jeans, as well as a hoodie that used to be his favorite. It was dark grays and blacks done in unorganized patterns. Adding a pair of boxers to the mix, he quickly dressed himself and then took the clothes out to Eren. The teen was engrossed in another horror film; with how silent Levi was, he probably hadn't even heard him enter the room. Carefully, trying not to spook him, he reached out and touched Eren's hair, since it was the only part of him visible.

Eren jumped and made some sound that may have resembled a scream and hid completely in the blanket. After a few minutes of realizing there wasn’t a demon trying to kill him, he peeked out of his cocoon and saw it was only Levi - of course, who else would it be? Now he felt embarrassed once more, his face blazing under the blankets. “…The movie was freaky.” He mumbled, pouting. He then noticed the man had clothes for him; he sighed and removed the blanket carefully from himself and put the hoodie on. As usual, he had trouble putting anything else on and looked at his savior helplessly. 

Levi sighed, not having meant to scare Eren. Kneeling in front of him, he carefully slipped boxers and pants over Eren's legs, only realizing what he was eye level with when he started pulling them higher. Turning crimson, he averted his gaze and finished dressing the male. Then he reached for his notepad and sat next to Eren. 'Why do you watch horror if it scares you so badly?' He penned out.

Eren thanked him after he was fully dressed, also a little red when the man was really close with something personal. He read out what Levi had wrote to him afterwards and considered his answer. “It distracts me from my negative thoughts, I get really fascinated with the supernatural and I forget to think about real life stuff and only think about that stuff.” It was the truth although he left the most important stuff out.

He shrugged, not quite sure what to respond to that. Eventually, he came up with something to say. 'Being here with me isn't enough to combat the negative thoughts?' Apparently not, if Eren was looking for alternative means to keep his mind happy. This made Levi a little sad, but it was understandable. Eren'd only been with him for a few days. It would take longer than that to heal the damage done to him.

"Hey…being with you makes me happy! Just..uhm…it also arises new problems that I need to ignore." He sighed heavily, hating to bring up his feelings again; he was probably annoying Levi with that. "I’m so very much happy that you have found me and took me in, I’m just trying to get over my feelings for you. Horror helps a lot since it’s like the only thing that doesn’t have much romance in it." He admitted with a sheepish smile. "…The good news is this problem makes me forget the other things mostly, at least."

'I didn't tell you you have to change your feelings.' Levi wrote. 'Being in love is a wonderful feeling. If it isn't genuine, it will fade without help. You shouldn't go out of your way to make yourself unhappy.' He went into the bathroom to retrieve the ace wrap, carefully wrapping Eren's ankle again. 'You need new clothes. Do you want to come with?'

"But…they hurt if they aren’t returned, that’s all I can think about is…you can’t return them." He made a little sobbing sound before he shook his head, shaking his mind out of it. "…I’d like to come if you really don’t mind, I may have to use you as a leaning post the whole time." His mouth twitched a bit in a hint of a smile. 

The male let out an inaudible sigh. 'I told you people can love more than once. I... it's only been a few days. I am enjoying having you here. My heart feels warm around you. But... it's been a long time since I've felt anything. If what you feel is real, don't give up hope.' He ruffled the boy's hair. 'Now let's go get you something to wear that you can actually call yours.' He held out his hand to help Eren up.

This man was actually encouraging him to pursue him and have hope that he could have him? From what he had read and seen on TV, this was unusual. It was always, ‘I like you.’ ‘Oh, I don’t feel the same.’ That was it. This man was saying it was possible something might work in the future. This cheered him up considerably, making him take his hand with a smile; getting off the couch. He leaned on Levi on the way to his messed up shoes, placing them on with some help. “Okay, ready to go.”

The smile made Levi feel much better. Although that feeling faded somewhat when Eren put those awful shoes on. *Definitely new shoes first.* He thought to himself as he gently steered the teen out of the house. He lived a little ways from shopping, so they had to board the train to get there. He insisted Eren sit until their stop. 

Eren sat down with much silent insistence from Levi. He huffed once in the seat, waiting for their stop. It eventually arrived and he got back on his feet with help from the man, leaning on him as they got out of the train and started to walk into the shopping center. He was then lead into a shoe store, where he was made to sit down while the older male picked out shoes for him. They eventually found a pair and went into the clothes section. “…Do I really need to try all these on? That would be difficult, can we just guess my size?” This was after he had picked his clothes out and Levi had pointed at the dressing rooms.

The male frowned, digging into his coat for his notepad. 'You should try at least one on, to see the fit. And we'll also get a few that are bigger, so they'll fit when you fill out.' Taking some of what Eren was holding, he gently helped him to the fitting rooms, ignoring the looks he was given as he walked in with him. Looking at the choices, he held out a dark blue shirt and jeans. 'Try these.'

Eren blushed furiously when Levi stepped in with him, of course it was needed for him to get dressed; he couldn’t do it on his own. He put on the shirt on his own like usual, but then needed his help with the rest of it. Once he was done, he looked at himself in the mirror they had in the room. He sighed, he just hated his incredibly skinny body and couldn’t look at himself anymore. “…How is it?” He asked Levi instead. 

Levi cocked his head to the side, looking him over. The shirt was a bit loose on the teen's shoulders and he needed a belt to keep the pants up, but it didn't look too bad. 'A few more meals and they should fit just fine.' He wrote to Eren. 'But they look fine.' He looked at the clothes choices, picking out a few more shirts and a couple more pair of pants. 'These, plus the ones you have on.' Eyeing Eren again, he set the notepad aside and moved closer. Hesitantly, he leaned in and barely brushed his lips across the teen's. Then he turned crimson, coughed, and stood up. 'We should go pay for those.'

Eren was shocked out of feeling horrible about his body, that slightest hint of a kiss almost sent him on his ass. He flustered heavily, mouth opening and closing several times like he was a fish or something. “I…what…” He shook his head, he would question him once they were out of the store. He came out of the room in his new clothes and shoes, waiting for Levi to pay for the stuff. He leaned on the man, walking out with him; still incredibly flustered. “…What…what was that about?” Did he really have a chance here? His heart was filling up with warmth and joy at the possibilities. 

Levi paused, letting out a small sigh. He wrote slowly, making sure to keep supporting Eren as they waited for the train. 'I... don't know. I just suddenly wanted to do that.' His face flared again and he pulled the teen onto the train once it arrived. He held the purchases on his own lap as he once again made Eren sit down.

Eren leaned on Levi, reading the words carefully. Not what he had hoped to read, but it was still a sign of hope. He couldn’t help the small smile that stayed on his lips all the way home, siting down like he was told to. When they got off, he limped against Levi back to his house. Then they got inside and set whatever he was carrying down, took off his shoes and hopped to the couch. ”Thank you..” He murmured shyly. 

The male nodded, getting them both glasses of juice. He settled on the couch next to Eren, pulling the teen's foot into his lap to carefully unwrap it and examine it. He twisted it experimentally, testing Eren's range of movement. It was obvious it still hurt, so he just as gently set it back down. 'Another day or two and that should be fully weight-bearing.' He wrote as he sipped from his glass.

Eren flinched and cringed a few times until Levi set his leg back down. He relaxed against the couch, sipping his drink as he nodded. He would miss depending on the man for support honestly, but he knew he had to walk on his own eventually. What he really couldn’t get out of his mind was that brief touch of lips, his mouth was still tingling and it’s been awhile since it happened, he didn’t know if he would ever get over it. What would a full fledged kiss feel like? Damn, he shook his head and kept drinking his orange juice. “So…now what?”

Levi thought about it. 'Lunch? I can make sandwiches? I was going to have you help, but I think you've been on your feet enough today.' He stood, brushing his hand through Eren's hair. 'Rest while I make food, okay?'

Eren smiled at him appreciatively, Levi was really the perfect man. “Thank you…” He kept in his compliments he wanted to tell him about him being such an amazing man. He blushed from the hand in his hair, nodding. He leaned back in the couch and waited, resting his eyes. He wasn’t used to that much walking, and with having an injured leg? He was exhausted. 

He took his time making the meal, allowing Eren a chance to rest for a few minutes. While he made the sandwiches, he thought. Why had he kissed the teen? He didn't know; it was an impulse that'd he'd felt and wanted to follow through on. His feelings for Eren were currently confused; he knew he felt affection for the teen, and was beyond happy that he'd brought him off the streets. But... was it disrespectful to his long-dead wife to even pursue a relationship? Shaking his head, he finished the sandwiches and carried them and a bag of chips into the front room.


	2. Chapter 2

Eren went into a peaceful, small power nap; waking only when Levi sat back on the couch with sandwiches and chips. He thanked him again and flipped through the channels. He was about to go to his horror channel when he thought, hey; he was in a good mood and hopeful for the future now. Why not watch something else? He found a comedy eventually and set the remote down. He began to eat silently, enjoying Levi’s company beside him.

Levi raised an eyebrow at Eren's choice of what to watch; he'd expected more horror. But he wasn't complaining. In fact, he even started laughing silently at one point. It was really difficult to eat when you were shaking with laughter. His eyes danced as he looked at Eren, hoping the male was enjoying this as much as he was.

Eren laughed with him, amused with the show and Levi’s shaking. He was glad he enjoyed what he chose to watch. He was highly amused with it, laughing out loud quite a few times; almost choking on his food as well. He took a big drink before trying to eat and watch more comedy. This show was really too much.

He hadn't laughed like this in so long. It felt really good. He could practically feel his heart thawing the longer Eren stayed. Looking back at the TV, he was just in time to see the main character trip over his own feet. A sound, like a bark of laughter, left him. He was so shocked he stopped laughing for a moment.

Eren twisted around, stunned into stopping mid laughter and forgetting all about the show, staring at Levi. “You made another sound!” He cheered, bouncing in his seat and wrapping his arms around the male. He was so happy, he was healing Levi’s heart. In the heat of the moment, he planted a huge kiss on the man’s lips. When he realized what he was doing, he pulled away and went back to his own end of the couch. His face was on fire and his heart had felt like it was melting, but now he was just scared he was going to make Levi kick him out for stepping over the line.

The teen practically lunging into his lap was bad enough, but the sudden lips on his... His face immediately turned red. When Eren pulled away, he stared resolutely at the TV, but he didn't see it. His eyes were glazed, and he could still feel those lips on his. Eren had crossed the line, but not in a way that made him want to kick the teen out. Swallowing hard, he looked over at him. Seeing the male was crimson too decided him. Moving slowly, he trapped Eren on his end of the couch and pressed their lips together again.

Eren squeaked when he was trapped, not in a million years expecting what happened next. Lips were on his again, making his eyes flutter closed after he got over the shock. Again he was melting into the man’s lips, wrapping his arms around him and pressing closer. This was actually happening, he was elated. This man had taken him off the streets, given him food and stolen his heart. Now he was making his heart thud violently in his chest as he kissed him more passionately. Was this actually going to work out?

Levi pulled away after a moment, face flushed. He reached for his notebook. 'I... don't know what's going on between us. This is odd for me. Have you done something to me?' He shook his head. 'You are making me feel again. It's... strange. But not unlikable. I just don't know what's going to happen from here on.' He frowned suddenly. 'But I didn't pull you off the streets for sex.'

"…I haven’t done anything to you, maybe just hopefully….made you feel? Like you said." Eren fidgeted, flustered beyond all reason. "…And I don’t expect sex, I haven’t….had any good experiences with that and I can’t imagine it being good at this point. Plus, my body is disgusting and would turn you off." He sighed, but smiled again afterwards. "…I, if there was going to be anything between us…I’d just like all the mushy girly stuff."

'Girly?' Levi wrote. Most of what Eren said he might agree with. But the part about his body... 'Your body isn't disgusting. It's thin, but with food, it will be fine. Not like mine.' He looked away for a moment. 'Let me show you mine. Then you'll know what disgusting is.' His hands shook as he unbuttoned his shirt. Pulling it off slowly, he set it on the couch and turned toward Eren, so that the male could see all his scars, could see the burned and ruined skin stretching over his torso and arms. The scars extended down his legs, but he didn't want to completely strip.

Eren gazed at it, but didn’t make a single face at it. “This is not disgusting, it’s part of who you are now…and it’s beautiful.” He ran hands over the marks gently. “…If i wasn’t afraid of sex, I’d still be all over you, your body is amazing.” He also took note of how his body was pretty built for a small man who didn’t appear to do any exercise. “I want my body to be built like this…” He bit his lip and inched closer to Levi. “So…what’s happening with us?”

*Beautiful?* Levi mouthed in confusion. He looked down at his torso, but didn't see anything beautiful about it. No, Eren was wrong. How could his burn scars be beautiful? He shook his head and reached for his shirt, but paused in putting it on to answer Eren. 'I'm not that built. But with good food, you'll fill out. Once you have strength to do so, working out should be easy for you. As for us... I don't know. Maybe there's a... a something? We'll figure it out as we go. I'm still going to help you get back on your feet.'

Eren sighed sadly, so they both couldn’t see what the other saw and this wasn’t exactly something yet. “Yeah, okay..” He wasn’t completely down though, he was getting closer to Levi by the minute basically. And that kiss had definitely kept his spirits up. He looked back at the TV, not really registering what was being said or done on it. 

His confusion grew at Eren's reaction. The teen seemed sad somehow. Shouldn't he have been happy? He nudged him as he buttoned up his shirt. Once the teen was looking, he penned him another note. 'What is it that makes you so unhappy?'

"We still aren’t officially together for one…maybe never will be, since you really loved your wife and that will be over my head even if you do accept me into your arms….I will always wonder, do you love me the same as her? Would you pick her over me if she came back to life somehow? I know it’s impossible, but this is all things that run through a person’s mind when they might get with someone who has a dead spouse." He inched away. "Unless there is exact answers, this won’t work."

Levi sighed, scratching his head. How was he supposed to respond to this without hurting the teen? 'I told you, if your feelings are genuine to not give up, that people can love more than once. It... I did love her. Very much so. And I still do. But that doesn't mean I compare the two of you. I wonder what she would have thought of you. I think she would have liked you.' He paused, trying to think. 'I've only known you a few days, and you've done wonders in that time. But... to come back from unfeeling, as I am? It takes time. Asking me if I'd choose between the two of you isn't fair; to save heartache on all sides, I wouldn't choose either if forced to make that decision.' He reached out to stroke Eren's hair. 'Give me time. For your sake, I will try to get past what happened five years ago.' He paused again. 'Except for that first day, I haven't had any nightmares since you came to my home. I'm nightmare free, I've managed a few sounds, and I'm beginning to feel again, all because of you. Don't sell yourself short, Eren.'

Eren blinked a few times, he should be hurt he couldn’t choose him, but the way he said all of that; just gave the boy hope. He could win the man over if he tried, and he would keep trying because these were real feelings he had. “…Oh, don’t worry. I’m not giving up. My feelings are real and they always will be, even if I have to wait until I’m an old man….I want to be with you.” Though, it would be nice if he could decide soon. Wouldn’t that mean a lot if he could love him for the rest of his love? Wouldn’t that prove a lot of love for him if he didn’t have to wait long? He would just have to wait and see how that went. “So, I guess that’s settled…I’ll just wait and try to heal…and help you do the same.”

The male frowned. Eren still didn't sound completely happy. But he'd done all he could for now. Letting out an inaudible breath, he leaned against the teen. 'I will try.' He penned out. 'It's not going to be easy for me. But I have been having fun with you. Especially cooking breakfast this morning.' His eyes twinkled at the thought.

"Yes, I’ve been having a great time too." Eren blushed and leaned into Levi as well, resting his head on his. He caught the twinkle in the man’s eye before he did so, he often caught those and found it adorable it usually happened because of him. He focused on the TV again, not sure of what else to say anymore.

There, that was better. Smiling, Levi looked back at the TV. The comedy was over, so he reached for the remote, flipping through the channels until he found a movie. It was one he'd seen before, but it was still an enjoyable one to watch. He settled more fully against Eren, a sigh of happiness leaving his body.

Eren enjoyed the movie with Levi, much more relaxed now as he pushed the world away and only focused on this moment with his savior. It was really nice, just to sit all almost cuddling against each other as they watched a movie. It was comfortable silence like usual that just felt natural. He found himself warmed and happy.

Levi felt himself growing tired as the movie progressed. Maybe it was the happiness he'd been feeling, or the attempt at having a feelings talk. Whatever the case, once his eyes closed he couldn't keep them open. His head lolled as he slipped from Eren's shoulder, coming to rest in his lap. Not that he realized this, since he was already asleep.

Eren was slightly startled when he found Levi’s head suddenly in his lap, he hesitated for a moment before he started to stroke a hand through his undercut over and over again. It was soft and rough at the same, and he loved the feel of it. He continued this through the movie, smiling softly until his head feel back and he too was asleep.

When Levi awoke, the room was dark. He must have been out for quite some time for the TV to shut itself off. Actually, it looked like the sun had gone down. Lifting his head, he realized he and Eren were curled up on the couch together. He yawned and sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Looking at Eren's sleeping face, he smiled and stroked a finger down it. Then he gently shook him to wake him up.

Eren was snoring softly, smiling slightly when he felt something stroke his face. His eyes fluttered open when he felt himself being shaken. He blinked several times before his eyes focused and he realized it was later and they both had fallen asleep. “Oh, oops.” He chuckled and rubbed his eyes before he gazed at Levi. He yawned and stretched, scratching his now messier hair from sleeping.

Levi shrugged and smiled, ruffling the teen's hair. He stood and stretched, going to turn on the light. Then he walked back over to Eren. 'Are you hungry? I can make something. Or we can order take-out? Like pizza or chinese?'

He made a soft happy noise at the hair ruffle, he really enjoyed those for some reason. “….I haven’t had pizza in forever either! Well, I haven’t had much of anything in forever…but…pizza! Yes, please!” He grinned and bounced in his seat.

Levi chuckled inaudibly, going to grab the phone and a menu. He returned to Eren, handing him both. ''You'll have to call it in, since they won't be able to hear me.' He rolled his eyes at that, but then favored Eren with a grin. 'Get what you want. Just no anchovies.'

"Oh, right…so I guess you haven’t ordered in for awhile, huh?" Eren almost forgot Levi could not order food himself. He looked through the menu and eventually decided on a meat lovers. He dialed it in and told the person on the other line so, told them the details of where they lived after Levi wrote it down for him. "Okay, they should be here soon." He informed the male as he handed back the menu and phone.

Levi nodded. He took the menu back into the kitchen and set the phone on the counter. Then he went back to stand in front of Eren. He considered him for a long moment before kneeling on the couch next to him. When the male turned, as he knew he would, Levi leaned in and pressed his forehead against Eren's.

Eren looked up at him curiously, watching him sit down and when he turned to look at him fully; suddenly he was staring as close as he could possibly get to his eyes. He blushed deeply, eyes widened as he could make out ever vivid detail in his eyes. They were both gray and blue, maybe a silver? It was unique and beautiful, he loved it. He could get lost in those eyes. And the breath mingling with his - it made his heat skip beats and his mind spin.

A soft, almost audible sigh, left Levi as he looked into Eren's eyes. Such an odd color; no wonder the teen had been sought after for sex. Lifting a hand, he stroked the back of it gently down Eren's cheek, letting it slide to his chest. He smiled when he felt the teen's heart thumping. Reaching for Eren's hand, he brought it to his chest so Eren could feel his own pounding heart.

Eren melted when Levi’s hand had stroked his face, blushed only all the more when his hand was grabbed to feel the older male’s heart thumping as much as his was. Was he feeling the same at this moment? This amazing feeling of bliss and…rightness? There was no real way to describe how he felt at this moment, he only knew he wanted this all the time and he never wanted it to end. He smiled and brought Levi’s hand back to his cheek so he could nuzzle against it.

Levi twitched, but he let his fingers curl to cup Eren's cheek. Leaning up, he brushed his lips over the teen's forehead. This right here was rather peaceful. He could stay like this forever. If only he could talk, to tell Eren exactly what he was feeling. He opened his mouth to try... and the doorbell rang. He sighed and hung his head, the moment broken. 'Pizza's here.' He penned for Eren. He dug out his wallet as he slid off the couch and walked to the front door.

Eren was watching Levi carefully, it looked like he was going to talk - before the doorbell rang and ruined everything. He sighed and waited for the man to come back with their food on the couch. He could still feel some of what he was feeling before the pizza arrived, love really was an amazing feeling when he didn’t focus on the negative details. The boy continued smiling to himself.

At least Eren was still smiling, Levi mused as he returned with the pizza. It was much better than the earlier sadness. He felt happy when he realized the teen was smiling because of him. Setting the pizza on the coffee table, he went to the kitchen to grab some napkins. As an after thought, he also grabbed a couple cans of soda, deciding Eren probably had enough food in him now to deal with the caffeine. Then he sat down next to him and opened the lid, gesturing for Eren to take the first slice.

Eren thanked him and grabbed the first slice, taking a bite and making a very pleased sound. “Mnnn, even better then I remember!” He exclaimed before eating some more, then tried his soda. “Ah, so is this! How I missed junk food!” He sounded like he was having an orgasm over his food, not that he even knew what an orgasm sounded like, so he was completely innocent in that department. He finished three slices in no time flat, gulping his soda down as well.

Levi flat out snorted at Eren's reactions, eyes dancing as he also reached for a slice and took a bite. It was good, so for someone who'd had only scraps for years, it was probably heavenly. He cracked open his soda, taking a long drink from it. He watched as Eren practically inhaled his third slice. 'Slow down.' He wrote with a grin. 'You'll make yourself sick. And pizza isn't as pleasant when it comes back up.'

Eren turned to see the notepad facing him with a message, pleased he heard the snort from Levi. “Heh, yeah…my bad.” He smiled sheepishly as he slowed down on his fourth slice. He finally felt full after that one and sat back, finishing his drink. “Aahhh, that was good.” He groaned as he melted into the couch. “Thanks a lot.” He would probably never stop thanking the man for everything he did for him, he really was his hero. 

Once he'd finished a third slice, Levi decided he was done. Nodding at Eren, he took the leftover pizza into the kitchen, wrapped it up, and stuck it in the fridge. Looking at the clock, he returned to sit next to Eren. 'Tired? Or should we watch another movie or play a board game?'

Eren thought over the options, it would all seemed boring to someone else; but this was the life for someone who used to live on streets and had none of these luxuries before. “…Either works for me, you should pick this time.” He smiled warmly at Levi, trying not to put any moves on the man like he wanted to.

Levi frowned. 'You are my guest, so you should be given first choice.' He thought about it. 'But... if we turn on another movie I'll probably fall asleep, since it's going to be getting late soon. Knowing that, would you choose movie, game, or just bed?'

"…I guess another game, you choose the game though." He suggested stubbornly. "I seem to always pick what we do, the savior should get some say." He blushed slightly at admitting his secret nickname for Levi, he averted his eyes and laughed nervously.

Levi smiled at Eren, stroking his hair gently. Then he stood and went to the closet, pulling out a couple of games. He looked at them, considering. Finally he decided on the game Sorry. It was a fun one and didn't require him to attempt any sound. He brought it back over and set it on the table, looking at Eren expectantly.

Eren looked over the rules. then looked back at Levi. He guessed he wanted him to start first. He flipped the card and went down his row until he was in the circle part. They played this game for awhile, and this time the teen didn’t know if he was going to win or not. It was a very close tie, he looked determined.

There was a lot of back and forth in this game, which was one of the reasons Levi enjoyed it so much. In the end though, he got all his pieces into home base before Eren. He leaned back against the couch, laughing inaudibly. Seriously, it was so enjoyable to have Eren in his home with him.

Eren threw a pretend fit, even going as far as flipping the board over; maybe it wasn’t all an act - he did have a temper, but he acted like it was all fun games as he laughed about if afterwards. He got on all fours and began to pick the pieces up, he had never lost before and he was competitive, that was the reason why he was being so bratty - good think Levi thought he was just kidding around.

Levi raised an eyebrow at Eren's actions. It was true the teen was laughing, but he wasn't entirely convinced. Maybe board games hadn't been such a good idea. 'No more.' He wrote. 'We should probably get some sleep, since it's getting late.'

"Aw, okay…" Eren pouted, putting the rest of it away. He then curled up on the couch with the blanket, staring up at Levi. "Good night…" It was weird, he liked sleeping but he didn’t want to sleep because he would be away from Levi, he was pathetic. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to force himself to sleep.

*Night.* Levi mouthed, sighing when no sound came out. He was really starting to want to talk, and not being able to was frustrating. Leaning down, he brushed his lips over the teen's forehead. Then he walked into his bedroom to get some sleep.

Eren flustered considerably, the man just lit him up like nothing else. It took him awhile to calm down and stop smiling, giggling into his pillow like a little girl. He eventually passed out, still smiling.  
He woke up the next day, testing his ankle on the floor; deciding it was okay to walk on it, he attempted to get up. He walked a few steps until overwhelming pain shot up his leg and he fell over. “AARGGHH!”

Levi was having a peaceful sleep, taking his time waking up from another nightmare free night. Until he heard Eren scream. He bolted from the bed before he was fully awake, stumbling down the short hall to the front room. It took him several minutes to realize that Eren had tried to walk. Shaking his head, he pulled the male back onto the couch. Then he flopped down as well, moaning slightly at being woken up. He reached a gentle hand toward Eren's ankle.

Eren looked really sheepish. “Sorry, I had to try.” He didn’t know if it was man pride or what, even if he did love depending on Levi for support and help; he would never admit to that. He had to make it look like he stubbornly wanted to walk, he didn’t know why - it just felt like the man thing to do. When Levi started to examine his ankle, he flinched a bit. He probably ruined the healing process with his little adventure.

The male shrugged, continuing his examination. The foot was still sound, luckily. It didn't appear to be any additional damage to it. He reached for the notepad. 'It's fine; you need to start trying to walk. Or the foot will continue to be lame. But did you have to do it so early in the morning?' It was Sunday, the day Levi always slept in. Except for today, apparently. Holding his head, he tipped over to rest it in Eren's lap.

“Sorry..you can go back to sleep if you want.“ He laughed slightly when he felt Levi`s head hit his lap. “You can even sleep there if you want.“ He stroked his hand through his hair softly. “I don`t mind, I can even fall back to sleep like this.“ He demonstrated by letting his head fall backwards and hit the back of the couch as he closed his eyes. “More sleep then.“

Levi nodded, which might have felt like a nuzzle to Eren. He twitched when his hair was stroked, but quickly realized he actually enjoyed it. Sighing, he closed his eyes and focused on the feel of those fingers going through his hair. He could definitely get used to this.

He continued to massage his fingers through the man’s hair, smiling softly as he relaxed into the couch. Soon his fingers faltered as he fell back asleep, he could fall to sleep in any position since he lived in the streets and was used to it. Plus, he was comfortable on this couch; no matter how he was sitting or laying.

When Levi woke the second time, it was nearly noon. He sat up carefully so as not to rouse the sleeping teen. Eren really did look peaceful when he slept. Or maybe it was just because of where he was. Whatever the reason. Sliding off the couch, he walked silently into the kitchen to heat the leftover pizza.

Eren was snoring peacefully and mostly silently until the microwave went off and he bolted awake. “W-what? Where’s the fire?!” He shouted until he realized what was going on and he sat back again, rubbing his eyes. “Oh, oops…” When there was no reason to panic, he slipped back into groggy mode and looked around sleepily.

Levi heard the comment, frowning as he carried the pizza and some juice into the front room. Setting it on the table, he grabbed his notepad. 'You're jumpy today. Are you alright? Bad dreams?'

"Yeah…bad dreams and natural reactions to being on the street." He scratched his bead head, stretching out a bit. "Did you get some for me? I understand if you didn’t since I was sleeping.." He was still half asleep and couldn’t really tell.

*I wonder if...* Levi stopped that train of thought before he actually wrote it. He lifted his hand to gently run it through Eren's hair, trying to soothe the male. 'There's enough here for both of us.' He wrote with his other hand. 

Eren almost wanted to purr from the hand running through his hair, it calmed him down a lot. “Okay, if you are sure.” He smiled slightly and took a piece; filling his empty stomach. “Thank you.” He said after he finished it, rubbing his eyes some more.

There was another slice aside from the one Levi was eating, so he set the plate in Eren's hands. 'You need that more than I do.' He wrote, taking a small sip of the glass of juice before offering some to Eren. He hoped the boy didn't mind sharing; one glass was all he could carry at the time.

"Ah, thank you very much." Eren smiled at him warmly before he started to eat the other slice. When he was offered the glass Levi was drinking from, he blushed slightly and took a few sips, handing it back. He finished the pizza and took another sip before leaning back in the couch. "You are very kind to me." He couldn’t help but say, smiling sweetly at him.

Levi finished his slice and drank some of the juice. Setting the glass down, he began to write. 'I took you off the streets to help you, not make it worse. Being mean would be counterproductive. And... I just... want you to be treated right.' He blushed and looked away.

"I…you are the best." Eren was also flustered, averting his eyes. Levi was really his hero and he didn’t know what he would do without him. Well, he did and it wasn’t pretty; he would still be on the streets with nothing and no one. Still being used, still starving and skinny. He lifted up his shirt and looked at his stomach. It was very slowly filling out already, making him smile.

Hearing clothing rustle, Levi turned back to catch Eren lifting his shirt to check out his stomach. It was nice to see that belly taking on a more normal shape. There was still a long ways to go before Eren didn’t look starved anymore, but it was a start. Carefully, so as not to startle the teen, he reached out a hand and touched Eren’s stomach, his thumb brushing over the most prominent scar. 

Eren flustered when long fingers were suddenly on his stomach, then touching over his scar. He sobered a bit at seeing it, biting his lower lip slightly. “That…that was the worst attack. It was…a gang bang and there was a knife involved, not mine…” He felt a tremor go through his body at the memories, his stomach turning violently. “…I don’t want to go in detail…I feel like I’m going to be sick.” He placed a hand over his mouth, tears brimming at his eyes. 

Levi looked up at Eren, gauging whether the teen was actually going to vomit right then. Deciding that yes, he looked like he was going to, he hauled him to the bathroom as quickly as he could. He made the male kneel in front of the toilet, rubbing his back soothingly. 

He made this horrible retching sound before he was throwing all his food contents into the toilet. His body vibrated violently, tears flowing down his face as he empty out his stomach. He couched for awhile afterwards before he just broke and started sobbing horribly. He wiped his mouth off and turned around to throw his arms around Levi, burying his face in his neck.

The male staggered under Eren's weight, but managed to stay on his feet. He placed his arms around Eren, stroking his back and nuzzling his hair. He kept his own breaths calm and even to try and calm the teen. Moving to the bathtub, he sat on the edge of it and pulled Eren down with him, letting the teen cry as much as he needed.

After awhile he stopped crying, moving away weakly to brush his teeth with the toothbrush he had bought while they were out too. He took a glass of water and limped back to Levi. “…Sorry, that still happens sometimes. Even when I think I’m over it…that happens.” He sighed heavily. He looked down at himself, there wasn’t a mess thanks to Levi. “…Thanks for staying here with me and comforting me.”

Levi nodded, not really able to do anything else since his notepad was in the front room and they were in the bathroom. He ran his hand through Eren's hair, hoping the gesture would soothe the teen even more. Once he felt they could leave without Eren vomiting again, he tugged on the male's hand, trying to get him to return to the couch.

Eren wrapped his arm around Levi and limped to the couch, setting himself down gently. He laid back against it, trying to get some feeling back in him as he felt numb after all that crying and vomiting. He opened his mouth a few times, but couldn’t think of anything to really say; so he just stayed silent. 

He pressed his hand against Eren's mouth, letting him know that he didn't have to say anything. Taking a sip from the juice that still remained, he reached for his notepad. 'I want to try something. But... it might make you vomit again. You can say no. I just, I think it will help you, if you'll allow it.'

Eren looked over at him, blinking curiously. “What is it? Anything that will help me would be nice, I’ll probably try whatever it is.” He felt a little bit anxious and hopeful now, he wanted to get rid of this fear and anxiety he always felt. “If you help me with another thing…well, I’ll probably love you more to be honest, you are my hero.”

He blushed a little at Eren's words. He probably shouldn't even be doing this, considering he didn't know what their current relationship was. But he just really wanted to help Eren. He pressed a gentle hand against Eren's chest, telling him to stay down. Then he slowly lifted Eren's shirt again. When the scar that made the teen sick came into view, he met Eren's eyes. Carefully, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to the long-ago injury.

Eren’s face turned a bright red, gulping as his shirt was lifted up. He watched Levi with wide eyes as he lowered himself to his scar and kissed it. That made him gasp softly, his face turning even more crimson if that was possible. Now everytime he looked at that scar he would think of the man’s lips mostly, this was a good idea after all. He wanted to voice that, but he was afraid Levi would stop; he wanted him to keep touching him.

Levi heard the gasp, lifting his head to look up at Eren. The teen was red, but he wasn't crying, so this must be working as he'd hoped it would. Dropping his head again, he gave the scar another kiss. Then he opened his mouth and used the lightest pressure from his tongue to stroke the entire length of the scar.

The teen shivered, arching slightly against the tongue. He never liked anyone touching him like this before, perhaps because this time he liked the person touching him that it felt better. It was makig his body hot all over and he didn’t understand it; but he reall liked it. He wanted more of it, his hand reaching down to go through Levi’s hair.

He jerked when he felt the hand in his hair. Giving the scar another kiss, he slowly lifted up and slid Eren's shirt back down. He felt around for his notepad, not yet wanting to move away from the teen. 'You should have an easier time with that scar now.' He wrote, showing the words to Eren. Then he very carefully lay in the small crevice between Eren's body and the couch, tucking his head under the teen's chin.

Eren was disappointed when it was over, he wanted more of Levi’s touch, more of his mouth on him. Though he was just happy the man did that at all and now he was cuddling him. So, he was just going to count his blessings and accept what was happening for now. He wrapped an arm around his savior, still blushing deeply. “Thank you…I’m going to think of you now every time I see it.” He smiled softly, kissing the top of his head. He was floating on cloud nine right now, he was getting closer to being in a relationship with Levi it seemed.

Levi made a small noise, a noise that sounded half amused, half flustered. He buried his blushing face deeper into Eren's neck when the teen kissed his hair. But he didn't move away. This felt really nice and... right. Maybe it was true; maybe he was developing feelings for the other male. It had been a long time since the accident, after all. It was probably about time he had another relationship. But he was still going to progress slowly, to see how things worked out. That didn't mean he wasn't going to do things to make the teen blush too though. With that thought, he pressed his lips against Eren's throat.

Eren was just relaxing in the loving embrace, enjoying this natural and right feeling of laying with the man like this. When Levi decided it was a good idea to kiss his throat. Well, it was a good idea. It just made him fluster like crazy and almost curse at his savior for finding a weak point he didn’t even know he had. This man just kept doing weird things to him and his body, and he didn’t know how to react properly to it. He could only hope he didn’t screw whatever this was up. So, not knowing what else to do; he retaliated with a kiss to Levi’s ear next. Hopefully he would make him blush and he would know his ‘pain’.

He could feel the heat radiate off Eren, signalling that he'd successfully gotten him to blush. He didn't expect any retaliation though. When those lips brushed his ear a breathy screech left him and he bolted upright. His face was flaming as he rubbed his ear, fixing the teen with what was supposed to be a glare. But it melted quickly enough into a look of dismayed affection. Levi searched for his notepad. 'You are a brat.' He wrote with a smile. 'Are you trying to be the death of me?'

Eren grinned and chuckled. “You’re the one that started it by kissing my neck…which is apparently my weak spot we just discovered right now. And it seems I’ve discovered yours.” He smirked wider, wiggling his eyebrows. He didn’t know what possessed him to do that, but he laughed loudly after that. “Why did I just wiggle my eyebrows?! What does that even mean?” He cracked up, holding the man tightly to him as he did so. “Was I flirting? That’s flirting, right? Am I doing it right?” He continued laughing.

Levi shrugged. 'Hell if I know.' He wrote. 'But it was cute.' He smiled, burying his face in Eren's neck as the male clung to him. He blew on the male's neck this time, pulling away before Eren could retaliate. 'This... is okay, right? I... we are flirting. But I don't mind it, as long as you are okay with it.'

Eren shuddered, blushing deeply. “…I…I am so okay with this, in fact I encourage it.” The boy smiled warmly, leaning up to kiss his chin before laying back down and staring up into Levi’s eyes. “I more then don’t mind it, I love it…” His heart started to race as he said this, looking away shyly after awhile.

He sat on Eren's hips, staring down at the teen. "I..." Levi's eyes widened. He'd said something! He tried again, frowning when no more sound came out. He sighed inaudibly and reached for the notepad. 'I have never wanted you for sex, you know. I just wanted to save you from the streets. I don't want you to ever be afraid of me.'

Eren’s eyes widened, practically bugging out at hearing a sound come from Levi, did that count as a word? Whatever it counted as, it was an amazing feat. He was accomplish his dream to to make his hero speak. He smiled widely up at him, stroking his face. “You don’t have to tell me that, I know. You are different from the others…” The blush never left his face.

He leaned into the touch, wishing he could tell the teen how he felt right now. He could try writing it out, but he knew it just wouldn't be the same. He tried anyway. 'Thank you. I feel... happy. I think I'm... falling... for you.' Levi blushed darkly. 'I still want to take this slow... okay?'

Eren beamed up at the man, his eyes and whole face seemed to light up. “Of course! As slow as you want! Does….does this mean we are together?” His eyes seemed to now sparkle at the thought. “That’s what this means, right?” He clapped his hands together like an excited little kid.

'Yeah, that's what it means.' He smiled at Eren. 'Since it means so much to you. And it's about time I have a relationship again. You've already done wonders for me in the short amount of time you've been here. I thought I'd never sleep without nightmares.' He reached out a hand and brushed Eren's bangs from off his forehead.

Eren wrapped his arms around Levi after hearing the big news, squeezing him slightly. “Ah, I’m so happy! You won’t regret this! At least..I hope you won’t! I won’t do anything to hurt you is what I mean!” He grinned before pulling back and nuzzling their noses together. “…I hope you’ll be happy with me, I know I will.”

Levi smiled. 'I'm not worrying about you hurting me. You're the one with the worst past.' He leaned back, stretching out his legs so they rested on each side of Eren. 'Are you hungry? You need to eat something since you vomited up the pizza. Soup?'

"I guess I do need to eat…but I don’t want you to get off me." Eren blushed furiously before he looked away. "…It’s disappointing the human body needs nutrition or movement, I could just cuddle with you forever. I’d prefer that." He looked back at Levi, wondering if he was over doing it. He never had this before and he wasn’t sure if there were things he shouldn’t say.

Levi's face darkened in color. Moving carefully, he leaned over and gently kisses the teen. Not a long kiss, but one that was sweet enough to make even him shiver. Then he pulled back, slid off the couch, and then sauntered into the kitchen with a swagger he didn't usually have.

After Eren had finished swooning over the kiss they had both shared, he blinked over at the way Levi was walking. He didn’t usually walk like that, it almost looked like even the way he walked was happy, did that even make sense? And for some reason, he was now noticing the man’s ass was great. Why did he care about a man’s ass? Was that normal? All he knew was that he was completely flustered and enamored over Levi.

Levi whipped up a can of chicken noodle soup. It wasn't homemade, but it would have to do. He was only a passable chef, after all. Once the soup was warm enough but not scalding, he spooned some of it into a bowl for Eren. He also pulled a can of Sprite from the fridge. Walking into the front room, he set both on the table in front of the teen. 'Sprite will help settle your stomach.' He wrote.

Eren sat up and smiled up at his savior and now - lover. That was amazing, he now had a boyfriend, someone to care for him as much as he cares for the other. He thanked him and began to slowly eat his soup; making sure it stayed down before he shoveled the rest down his throat. He gulped the sprite down as well. “Aahh, that was good.” Anything was to him, still. Food was a luxury and he was going to love anything handed to him, wither his taste buds liked it or not.

Levi rolled his eyes. 'I'm not going to make you starve.' He wrote. 'You can eat a little slower.' Still, he smiled as he removed the dishes. It was certainly much livelier around here now with Eren to look after. The moment the teen was able to be up and walking reliably he was sure it would be that much more lively. Maybe he should invest in some new movies? He didn't even know what was out anymore; he'd basically been living as an empty shell for the past five years. Feeling things again was... strange. But in a good way. It only took someone ten years his younger to make him feel alive again. He chuckled inaudibly at the thought.

Eren shrugged sheepishly and laughed when he saw the message. “Oops.” He gave him a cheeky smile as he watched him put away the dishes. He wished his ankle would heal, he wanted to help out and learn to do more things with Levi. For now that he had movies and board games, and maybe some kissing now. He blushed at that thought and almost squeaked out loud. He tried to get a hold of himself before the man came back this way. All that happened though, was him making things worse by thinking of more kissing and he was a blushing mess now, great. Now Levi would ask him what was wrong and he wouldn’t have any good answers. He would have to embarrass himself by admitting the truth again.

Levi finished with the dishes and put away what was left of the soup, after snagging a few spoonfuls for himself. Wiping his hands, he walked back into the front room to find a positively crimson Eren. He hadn't looked like that when he'd left the room; just what had the teen been thinking about? Curiosity getting the better of him, he picked up his notepad. 'Why are you blushing now?' 

"I knew you would ask that…I tried to make it vanish, but only succeeded in making it worst." Eren sighed and looked away bashfully for a few moments before taking a deep breath and looking back. "I was thinking about the only things available for us to do while I’m stuck like this…there was games, TV, and…y’know…maybe kissing." He twisted the shirt he was wearing, watching Levi for a reaction. 

His eyes widened and then he was on the floor, laughing inaudibly. His writing was sloppier, but he tried to get words down to explain to Eren. 'You... seriously, you are so cute. Maybe? Pfft. Oh, I so needed you in my life."

Eren was appalled at first that Levi was laughing at him, he thought he may be laughing at the thought of kissing him and that hurt a lot. Then with written words, he slowly realized he had assumed very wrong and was blushing again. “I…I…” He didn’t know what to say to the compliment.

A loud snort left the amused Levi. He climbed onto the couch and ruffled Eren's hair. Then he leaned in to kiss the teen's forehead. 'You are silly. You may have already noticed, but I enjoy kissing you.' He paused. 'As for doing other things, want to go watch a movie at the cinema? I don't even know what's playing, but I'm sure we can find something.'

Levi only made the boy’s face flare hotter and more red then ever. “I-I’m glad you do…and, I’d love to go if you don’t mind me leaning on you again.” He laughed softly, leaning forward shyly to kiss his nose before pulling back. “We can go and see…I don’t mind whatever movie is good, I haven’t been to the movies in ages.” He hid his face in one of his own shoulders.

'I don't mind. And I haven't been to a movie in forever either. Why don't we both get changed and go out?' He paused. 'Do you need help changing clothes, or do you want to try on your own?' 

He considered it, he wanted to attention from Levi; but at the same time he wanted to prove he was capable. Plus, now that they were together, he didn’t need the excuse to get the man’s touch. “I’m going to try!” He announced, reaching down by the couch to grab his bag. He started to change, and only had little resistance from his ankle. “I did it!” He exclaimed like it was a huge accomplishment.

Levi smiled and clapped his hands, really happy for the teen. 'There, you see? You're getting better. You'll be walking without help in no time. My turn to change.' Leaving the notepad with Eren, he walked into the bedroom, changing quickly. Going into the bathroom, he brushed his teeth and ran a hand through his hair. A bath or shower would be in order tonight. He walked back into the front room and sat down to put on his shoes. Then he stood, waiting for Eren.

Eren grinned, even more happy that Levi seemed proud of him. He limped to his shoes and managed to put those on as well. “There’s only a light pain, maybe I can walk their without needing to put you out by leaning on you.” He put on his jacket, he looked pretty good in his new clothes and with his new minor change of weight; and he didn’t even realize it. He reached over and grabbed Levi’s hand. “Ready.”

With another smile, and quickly grabbing his notepad, the two left Levi's flat hand in hand. It was another small train ride to the movie theatres, so Levi carefully led Eren that way, holding him close even though the male was able to walk with only a slight limp. It was partially because he wanted to keep Eren close, and partially because he didn't want him to be stolen away. Finally they made it to the theatre. Levi looked up at the board, wondering what they should watch.

Eren enjoyed their walk to the movie theater, only the limp and being mildly afraid of people threw him off slightly. When they got to the board that held all the movies inside, it took him awhile to sound out all the words. Even after that, he didn’t know what he wanted to see. Ah well, he told Levi he could decide anyway. He looked at the smaller man, waiting for him to choose as he looked around the place. It sure had change since 2005, everything was developing so fast.

Levi stared at the board for a moment longer before deciding on The Hobbit. Sure neither of them had seen the first one but that didn't really matter. They'd probably still enjoy it. After paying for the tickets, he led Eren toward the line for popcorn and candy, motioning for the teen to pick what he wanted.

The Hobbit? After looking at a poster for it, he nodded eagerly. It looked really awesome. He then beamed when Levi pointed at all the treats he could pick from. “Ah! Uhm…oh! I want an orange soda and…Jolly rancher gummies!” He was just like a little kid, but his mind hadn’t grown with the rest of him; so it was to be expected. Being on the streets and not being able to experience all this fun stuff, it was about time he got to be a kid again.

The older male chuckled, pointing to the requested items and also getting a small popcorn to share. He didn't get a drink, figuring he either wouldn't need one or could just snatch a few sips when Eren wasn't looking. Opening his wallet, he paid for the items, handing the candy and soda to Eren. The teen already looked like he was enjoying himself. Good; that was exactly what Levi wanted. Once past the ticket taker, it was easy enough to find the right theatre. Locating their seats, Levi sat in one and looked at his watch. Five minutes until the show started. Not bad for this being unplanned.

Eren sipped his drink, watching the pre-show commercials slide across the screen. They really had advanced a lot since he last been here. He remembered just a black screen until the movie started. He looked around the theater, the movie must have been out for awhile since there was hardly anyone in here. For the last minute he just shot side long gazes at Levi, smiling softly to himself. He felt really lucky to be with him, he saved him and stole his heart. The theater suddenly darkened, signalling the movie was starting and he turned his attention to the screen. Once the actual movie started, the boy couldn’t tear his eyes from the screen.

It was amusing to see the change in Eren. The teen's attention was glued to the screen. Not too surprising, considering it was an action packed movie and Eren hadn't seen one in years. Neither had Levi, so his attention kept drifting back to the screen. And when the giant spiders crossed the screen, he jumped and cried out hoarsely. 

Eren’s wide eyes turned to Levi when he heard the hoarse cry, that was yet another sound to come from the mute male. He smiled at him and held his hand, squeezing it reassuringly until he felt it was okay to look at the screen again. He kept a hold of the hand for the rest of the movie. When it was done, he sat there for a few minutes in stunned awe. He looked over at Levi. “..Wow.”

Wow was a good way of describing it. And to think that was only part two of three. He searched for his notepad. 'Part three is supposed to be out in a couple years.' He closed his eyes for a moment, replaying the movie. They'd done a really good job on Smaug. He looked at Eren and smiled, giving the male a quick kiss before standing and looking all innocent.

"Wow, I need to watch the first part and I can’t wait for three…that dragon was so cool! holy shit!" He exclaimed before there was suddenly lips on his, and even if it was a quick kiss; it stunned him momentarily and made his face flare up. He scrambled to get up once he realized he needed to stand up and go out. He limped his way out, his heart racing in his chest. Damn this man, he did that on purpose. 

Levi's eyes sparkled with laughter and mischief as he followed Eren out of the movie theatre. He just couldn't resist that small kiss he gave him. It was so enjoyable to watch the teen's reactions. He slipped his hand in Eren's, smiling gently up at him.

Eren smiled warmly down at Levi before leaning over and kissing him deeply before pulling away and continuing to walk ahead. He squeezed his hand gently, now smirking and sauntering slightly. “We going back home now?” his head was held high now, he had gotten back at the man.

A dazed expression was on Levi's face for a few steps. After regaining control of his brain, he wrote Eren a new message. 'We can go back home if you want. Or, if you are hungry, we can eat out.'

"Yeah, let’s eat out somewhere." Eren nodded, he was about to ask if that was okay; but Levi was the one that offered it; so it must have been alright. He thumbed over his knuckles as they kept walking. "anywhere is fine."

His face turned red at the look Eren gave him. Seriously, this kid. He was just too adorable. Tightening his hold on Eren's hand, he led the teen to a nice but not overly priced restaurant. Once they were shown to their table, he motioned for Eren to pick what he wanted from the menu.

Eren took a long time going over the menu, he felt bad about taking so much time sounding things out; but he didn’t have much education to work with. Besides, he would bet Levi didn’t mind; he seemed like a patient and kind man. “…That one says ‘steak and fries’, right?” When his savior nodded, he smiled slightly. “Can I get that? I don’t want to over price you or anything…”

Levi waved his hand, trying to convey that it was fine. When the waitress came back out he pointed to the steak on the menu and held up two fingers. He ordered both as med-rare, hoping the teen would be alright with that. Once the menus were taken away, he smiled across the table at Eren and reached out to gently hold the male's hand.

Eren’s face flared as his hand was taken a hold of by Levi. This was a wonderful feeling, to be loved like this. He smiled shyly across the table at the man as he squeezed his hand softly. He blinked when he noticed something, he changed his head at different angles. “Hey…your eyes slightly change color too, I thought it was just me. One minute your eyes are blue, then silver, then gray! How beautiful!”

Levi stared when Eren cocked his head to look at him from different angles. His face darkened into another blush when his eyes were complimented. He looked a way for a moment, embarrassed. But then he was digging for the notepad. 'Yours are beautiful, not mine. The teal is such a unique color.'

"I love yours." Eren insisted, enjoying the fact he had made the man blush. "And it’s teal? I never knew what to call it…doesn’t it go in three different colors sometimes?" He shrugged, stroking Levi’s hand with a warm smile on his face. "I’m glad…we are doing this." His cheeks tinged pink as he looked back into his savior’s eyes.

'They change.' Levi wrote. 'Sometimes they are blue, green, even gold. But the mixed color, what they are now, is teal. It's pretty.' He looked down at the fingers stroking his hand. Eren's fingers were long, and his skin was a light tan, probably from being on the streets. Still, he liked the skin tone; it contrasted nicely against his paleness. He was still enjoying holding hands when the food arrived.

He was still flustered. “O-oh, I didn’t know they went all sorts of colors like that.” He squeezed his hands again, enjoying holding them and looking into his eyes until their food came. He regretfully let go if Levi’s hands to dig into his food, and he loved it. The steak was divine and reminded him why it was his favorite food. He kept contact with the man though, pressing his foot against his under the table.

Levi's eyes lit up when he looked at the steak on his plate. It looked divine. He was salivating before he even cut into it. His first bite was heavenly. He jolted when Eren's foot brushed his, but with a quick look at the teen, he twined his own with Eren's. Then he resumed eating.

Eren smiled warmly across the table at Levi as he ate his steak, he was done in a matter of minutes. He set his utensils down and finished his drink off while he waited for Levi to be done. The tip of his foot kept rubbing against the other’s. “That was really good.”

Once he finished his own meal, Levi sat back and nodded. He smiled, feeling the foot touching his own. Lifting a hand, he waved the waitress over, conveying that he wanted the check. He sent her back off with his credit card. 'Home after this?' He wrote to the teen.

"Yeah, sounds good." Eren agreed, rubbing Levi’s foot until they could get up and leave. Once they were out the door, they were hand in hand once more. He only limped slightly beside him, his ankle was getting better and he should be able to walk normally again soon enough.

It was nice to see Eren walking with a more normal gait. Another day, maybe two, and he'd be right as rain. Levi squeezed the male's hand as he led him back toward the train station. Once there, they boarded the train when it arrived. He sat next to Eren, leaning against him after a moment of hesitation.

Eren smiled when he felt Levi lean on him, squeezing his hand every once in awhile. It was such a reassuring gesture, it said, ‘Hey, I’m here for you and care for you.’ His cheeks would probably never return to their natural color at this point. The world disappeared around him as he enjoyed being so close to his lover and savior. He leaned his head on his gently, closing his eyes in bliss.

Levi listened to the stops, nudging Eren when it was time to get off the train. He stood and stretched, still holding the teen's hand as they stepped off the train. He'd been enjoying the simple contact while on the train, and didn't want to give it up quite yet. He walked slowly, just in case the teen's ankle was starting to hurt.

Eren appreciated the slow walking once they got off the train, his ankle was in fact starting to hurt from all the pressure he was putting on it today; but he was glad they went out together. Then something flew through his mind so fast it made him blush and almost stop walking. “H-hey…that was a date, right?” He gulped, was that his first date?

The question caught him off guard and forced a short burst of laughter from him. He pulled out his notepad. 'Yes, that was a date. You thought it wasn't? If you don't want to think of it like that you don't have to.'

"N-no! I’m happy we went out on a date! That means you really like me!" Eren beamed, placing a big smooch on Levi’s cheek. "That was an amazing first date, thank you very much." He blushed deeply once more, gazing over at him as he limped beside him. "Wait…did you just laugh out loud? Or was I hearing things?" His eyes widened.

His own face turned crimson from the teen's words and actions. Nodding, he looked away as the flush crept down his neck. Eren was honestly going to kill him with cuteness and sudden feelings. Things he hadn't felt in years.

"Thank you for being here with me, saving me…and doing these things with me, I couldn’t be happier." Eren smiled brightly as he wrapped an arm around Levi’s shoulders, steering him inside the house. He took off his boots and jacket, limping over to the couch and plopping himself on it. "Aahhh…" He melted into the cushions. 

Levi fumbled with his key, his ears burning from Eren's words. He ran a hand across one of the arms holding him as he opened the front door. Watching Eren, he could see he was limping a bit more. Taking off his own shoes and coat, he sat on the couch and pulled Eren's foot into his lap. Examining it gently and determining the more pronounced limp was just from use, he began to slowly work his fingers across the sore appendage.

Eren was now the flustered one as he felt Levi’s fingers soothe his ankle, it hurt of course, but it also felt really good. “You…you really do so much for me, you got to be the kindest man ever.” He murmured shyly, averting his eyes for a few minutes. He looked back at him, gazing at him for a bit before he leaned over to kiss his cheek again. “I really want to return all these favors…you deserve happiness, I want to make you as happy as you made me.”

He didn't answer for a bit, now working on the side of Eren's foot. Only when he was completely done with the massage did he reach for his notepad. 'You make me happy just by being here.' He wrote for Eren. 

Eren smiled brightly at him, turning a dark crimson. “I-I’m glad we can make each happy then.” He stammered, thanking him once again for the massage, his ankle felt much better. He took it off him and sat up straighter so he could lean on the smaller man. 

Levi coaxed the male into a little more comfortable position, leaning back against the couch. They would need to sleep before too long, since he had to work in the morning. But for now he would enjoy the cuddling. He rested his head against Eren's, putting his arms around the male and holding him close.

Eren sighed contently once they got comfortable together, he was in bliss, just cuddling like this with the one that saved him; the one he had fallen for. He liked this position too, where he could seem smaller and get cuddled like this as well. His hand came down onto Levi’s leg, stroking it lovingly. 

Levi's leg twitched under Eren's hand, since he hadn't expected the male to do that. He didn't pull away though, just tightened his hold on the teen and dropped his head to rest it against his neck. After a minute of sitting there like that he turned just a little and kissed the teen's neck.

Eren was slowly slipping off into a content sleep when his eyes shot wide open, his neck was highly sensitive as he discovered with Levi not too long ago. So, was he doing that on purpose? He flustered and gulped, not sure how to act to this. Was this him trying to initiate something? He didn’t want to assume and scare the man off. He would just wait and see if he tried to take this further before he made a move. “Hnn…”

It was obvious from the sound and the blush that Eren had enjoyed that. Considering his neck was sensitive, it was understandable. Nuzzling the skin, he sighed against it. If he was honest with himself, he wanted to see more of Eren's reactions, wanted to replace every bad memory with a good one. He was ashamed to feel this way, since he hadn't pulled Eren off the streets for sex. His hands tightened, but he didn't do anything else. He wasn't about to ruin what they had.

The boy would admit disappointment when Levi didn’t continue, but he supposed he wasn’t ready to go far yet. He wasn’t even sure why he wanted to continue, wasn’t he afraid of sex? But something about it being with him was different and he wanted to try it. Though he wouldn’t say anything this early in, he didn’t want to ruin anything. So he just nuzzled against his savior and willed the heat in his lower stomach to go away quickly.

The nuzzle was sweet and made him smile. When Eren turned his face toward him, he gave him the softest kiss, reaching up to stroke his cheek. Then he felt the couch for his notepad and pen. 'Would you... the bed is more comfortable. And I have to work in the morning, so I need to sleep. But... you could join me... if you want.' 

Eren melted into the kiss, returning it just as softly as he rubbed Levi’s leg. When they broke apart, he was still flushed and his heart felt really warm. This really was a wonderful feeling. He then watched him write something on the notepad, his face only darkening in color. “I-I’d love to sleep in your bed..with you.” He smiled gently at him, happiness evident all over his face.

'R-really?? I-' Levi stopped writing. He'd thought Eren would refuse, that it would be too scary for him. Having the teen say yes instead really surprised him, made him wonder if maybe he wasn't helping more than he'd realized. Setting the pad down, he carefully moved his arms under Eren, cradling the teen as he stood. He wobbled a little, but was able to walk to the bedroom with Eren tucked safely in his arms. He set Eren on the bed, retreating to the bathroom to change into nightware. Then he returned, wearing a simple pair of sleeping pants, halting next to the bed to make sure Eren was still okay with this.

Eren was never going to stop blushing at this rate, he was just carried ever so lovingly into Levi’s room. He felt safe and protected, loved. When the man had left to do things in the washroom, he buried his face in the pillow and squeaked. He felt like he was being treated like gold, it was all too sweet and he wasn’t used to that at all. When he heard movement in the room again, he peeked out from the pillow and slowly turned to smile up at him. He didn’t know if Levi was hesitant because the last person he slept with was his wife, or if he was just worrying about him; how he was going to take this with all he went through. He pat the spot next to him, still smiling; showing he was perfectly happy with this.

After another minute to make sure Eren wasn't just trying to please him, he carefully slid into bed next to the teen. He didn't embrace him, afraid of triggering something that would cause Eren to lash out. But he did feel his own body relax at having someone in the bed with him. As their combined warmth heated the sheets he realized how lonely it had been sleeping alone.

Wow, being in the same bed as someone one loved was really comforting and all together very pleasant feeling. He had never been in a bed with another person before, he was too young to remember if he ever slept with his parents and when people took him off the streets, they never took him on the bed. Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since he was on a bed at all. He also relaxed into the bed and closed his eyes, he kept inching towards Levi every now and then, wanting to snuggle to sleep.

Watching Eren close his eyes made him relax even more. Any triggers or outbursts seemed like they weren't going to happen. He reached out a hand, brushing it against Eren's bangs. Then he closed his own eyes and let sleep take him.

Eren smiled warmly when he felt the brush of Levi’s hand on his bangs, soon falling asleep right after.  
He awoke the next day with his body wrapped around the back of the man’s body. Apparently his body had acted out his desire to hold him while they laid sleeping. He blushed and closed his eyes once more, wanting to enjoy holding him like this until he had to go.

Levi'd forgotten to set his alarm clock. Luckily he felt Eren's hand twitch, a hand that was somehow under his body. Yawning, he opened his eyes to find the teen's arms twined around him. Well this was awkward. Although, if Eren had done this after Levi'd fallen asleep it showed the teen was okay with snuggling during sleep. Planning to keep that in mind, he carefully moved out from under the teen's arm and headed to the bathroom to shower and get ready for work.

Eren had fallen asleep again and was in a middle of a dream, that was why his hand had twitched under Levi. He was having good dreams for once, so it was a good idea to share a bed for many reasons now. He didn’t register the lack of warmth until a bit later, his ears catching the sound of the shower turning off. His savior must be getting ready for work, he wished he could get up and make him something or help out somehow. Perhaps sometime in the future he could learn to do that stuff. For now he would just wait for him to come back in the room, so he could wish him a good day.

He didn't want to go to work; he was really enjoying Eren's company. But not working meant no money, and no money meant bills went unpaid. So he'd have to work, to be able to continue supporting himself and now Eren. Finishing his regime for getting ready, he stepped back into the bedroom, finding the teen still in the bed. His eyes were closed; he was still sleeping? Leaning down, he softly brushed his mouth against Eren's. Hopefully the teen would be alright while he was gone.

Eren blushed deeply and wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, kissing him back. He probably thought he was sleeping and this would startle him, but he just needed to return it and shower him in love and affection before he went to work. He pulled back after a bit, smiling up at him sweetly. “Good luck at work, I’ll miss you.” He reached up to stroke his cheek then, running the hand down his chest before putting it back under the covers. “I…I love you.”

Levi froze the moment Eren's hands came around him, but he melted into the kiss quickly enough. His own face was flushed when Eren pulled away. He nodded to Eren's words, swallowing hard. Those fingers on his cheek and chest nearly made him climb back into bed. But the teen's next words soothed him, as well as bringing his blush back full force. *And I... love you.* He mouthed back, wishing so hard that he could talk. With a last look at Eren, he headed to work.

Eren smiled to himself for a long time after Levi was gone, he loved making him blush like that. He fell back asleep soon after.  
He didn’t wake up until around 2pm, he groaned and made himself get out of bed. He went into the bathroom to take a shower and do all his business in there. Afterwards he was in the kitchen, attempting to make himself food; a sandwich was easy enough he found. After he had that ready with a glass of orange juice. he limped his way to the couch, sitting down and turned on the TV. He stayed there for the rest of the day.

His day at work was surprisingly easier to deal with and went faster than it ever had before. He felt happier, more upbeat. It was strange, but he liked it a whole lot more. And having Eren to come home to made his day even that much better. He nearly skipped out of the building at the end of his shift, practically running toward the train station.

Eren watched all kinds of shows that day, a bit later he was flipping through the channels when he found two people having sex on one and froze completely. At first he felt sick and scared, but after awhile of staring; he imagined it was Levi and him. Then it started to turn into something erotic, he squirmed as he grew all hot and bothered. Before he knew it, he had a boner. He never really had a full erection before and it made him really nervous, wasn’t his savior coming home soon? What would he think of the bump in his pants? He quickly changed the channel and casually folded his hands over the tent to block the view.

Levi unlocked the front door and stepped through. He couldn't call out that he was home, but Eren probably heard the door. Shrugging out of his coat and removing his shoes, he went into the kitchen to get a drink of water. Then he walked into the front room, finding the male watching TV on the couch. And sitting... rather oddly. He gave Eren a quizzical look.

"H-hi! Welcome back!" Eren smiled both happily and nervously, he really wanted to jump up and give the male a hug; but he couldn’t without the other feeling his problem. He gulped and looked at the TV quickly, making sure he had switched it to something safe before he looked back at Levi. "I…I hope you had a good day." Shit, it felt like he was only getting harder and it was really starting to become a issue.

The teen was stuttering and looking nervous. It made Levi wonder what exactly he'd been up to. Not to mention the way he was sitting. It was almost as if... Crossing the short distance, he grabbed the remote that was next to Eren, pressing the recall button. When the TV switched to the previous channel that had been watched, he stared at it for a few seconds before looking at Eren and raising an eyebrow.

"Shit, the TV can do that?!" Eren’s voice went up a couple of volumes, he looked at Levi with wides eyes, feeling like he was being judged. "I-it was really an accident! I was just flipping through the channels and there it was! At first I was freaking out…but then I saw us in their place and my body reacted like this!" He was practically screeching during his whole explanation because he was so embarrassed and frazzled he had been caught watching such things, thinking such things and having a boner was probably obvious now too.

Levi's expression suddenly turned into a grin and he started laughing inaudibly. Setting the remote down, he sat next to Eren. Luckily his notepad was still there. 'It's okay. I was surprised; I didn't think I had any of those channels in my satellite plan. I must have overlooked something. Your body's reaction is normal, so don't worry about it.' He started gently stroking Eren's hair.

Eren pouted at the man who was silently laughing at him, he looked at the notepad after a bit, calming down only when Levi started to stroke his hair. Yet, somehow it only bother his problem more. He turned himself toward the male and latched onto him, biting his lip when his hard on pressing into Levi’s side. “The thought of us…did this to me.” He whispered in the man’s ear, doing his damn best not to rub up against him.

Levi actually squeaked when he felt Eren's erection against his side, his face turning ten kinds of red when the teen whispered into his ear. He tried to write on the notepad, but it was really hard to concentrate with an aroused male practically begging to be taken. 'I... didn't... take you in for sex.' He protested in rather sloppy handwriting. 

"I never thought you did, I never offered sex willingly before either…just, I really want you. If you really don’t want to, I’ll stop and go take care of myself…but I’d rather do things with you." He didn’t know where all this confidence was suddenly coming from, but he liked it. It had made Levi squeak and he seemed to be having a hard time protesting against him. "Hmm, will you let me have you?"

The older male's eyes were open so wide. Where had the self-conscious always blushing teen gone? He was suddenly like another person; had helping him out changed him that much? Levi swallowed hard. The low voice and feeling Eren's arousal were getting to him. His own was starting to get hard, something he hadn't felt in far too long. He stared down at his own crotch with a bright red face. Licking his lips, he met Eren's eyes, want filling his own.

Eren watched all the signs, seeing want in Levi’s eyes and catching him licking his lips did him in. He closed the distance between them and began to kiss him deeply. Now the only experience he had was the bad kind, bur maybe he can transform what he learnt into something really good for them. After a bit of passionate kissing, he slid his tongue across the male’s lips, asking for entrance. Already this was the best experience he ever had with sex and they only just started.

His breath hitched when Eren kissed him. They'd exchanged gentle kisses, and some with a little heat, but nothing quite like this. Levi's face was on fire, and the warmth was slowly spreading down his body, pooling in his abdomen, waking parts of him he'd thought he would never use again. A slight breathy moan left him and he opened his mouth willingly for Eren's tongue.

Eren’s tongue slipped into his mouth eagerly, sliding around until it settled with rubbing against Levi’s tongue. He groaned, never feeling such amazing things before. His hands then began to explore, running up the man’s shirt and tweaking his nipples. He had never had control before, perhaps that was one of the reasons he could do this without freaking out. Maybe if he did it first then later when Levi took him, he would be able to handle it. 

The feeling of Eren's tongue against his own made the warmth in his body grow. He pressed back against the teen, suddenly wanting to feel more of him. And that was when Eren's hands began to explore. A hoarse cry ripped from him as his nipples were touched. Leaning his head back, he looked at Eren with hazy eyes.

Eren panted as he looked back at Levi with darkened eyes full of lust. He then attached his mouth to his ear, sucking and nipping on the lobe before traveling down his jawline, then his neck. He made several marks in just a few minutes, he just wanted to claim and ravage the man. He hesitated for only a moment before he pulled his shirt off and trailed his mouth down to a nipple. His plan was to give him as much pleasure as possible, hopefully he’ll entice noise out of him, he already heard a hoarse cry. Maybe he would even have him begging for him in one way or another.

Levi gasped when Eren's mouth attached to his ear. Like Eren's neck, his ears were his weak spot. He writhed under the teen, under all the attention he was receiving. After such a long time, it was almost too much for him to handle. The mouth worked down his throat, and he could feel every pause, every mark Eren was creating on him. Once his shirt was removed and that mouth was where the fingers had been, another cry, this one a bit louder, ripped from him. Was it possible he'd just needed stimulus to make him talk again? Or was it because of his feelings for the teen? He didn't know. Panting, his hips snapped up against the teen practically straddling him.

Eren gasped, loving to hear Levi cry for him, and when he bucked up against him; he straddled him more efficiently, grinding down against him. Shit, he didn’t know how much longer he could last, but he knew foreplay was important in a healthy sex life. He couldn’t remember how he knew that part, but he knew he would like it if it was the opposite way around. He groaned and attacked the other nipple before ripping off his own shirt. He panted heavily, looking down into the other’s eyes, wondering what to do next. Did he just keep going with his instinct and hope it didn’t go wrong? He reached down into his pants and gripped him tightly.

The hand in his pants suddenly reminded him where they were. Panting heavily and unable to keep himself from moving against that hand, he looked around for his notepad. It was several minutes before he was able to locate it, and even longer before he was able to coherently write anything out. 'I want... our first time... bed?'

Eren didn’t register Levi was writing until he showed him the notepad. He wondered what he could be saying at a time like this, maybe asking for him to just get it over with? Then he realized what it said, panting heavily, he nodded. He took the hand out of his pants, standing up and taking Levi into his arms, cradling him and making out with him all the way into the room. Soon he plopped onto the bed with him, crawling over top of him as he tried to rip the rest of their clothes off.

Despite his injury and having lived on the streets, it appeared Eren had an easier time carrying him than the other way around. He kissed the teen back almost desperately, so aroused now from all the touching and kissing. His back met with the bed, and in the dimly lit room, he watched Eren crawl closer, tugging at his clothes. His hands lowered to help Eren with the belt and buttons.

Soon enough they had all their clothes off, Eren admired the sight of Levi, kissing down his body before hesitantly kissing his cock. He looked up afterwards. “Do you have anything for lube? I want to prepare you now.” He nuzzled his face against the erection, looking up at the male with big hungry eyes. “If you want me to take you that is…”His voice was a deep purr, suggesting he didn’t mind it either way. He really hoped this was better then his previous times.

Hot damn! Levi'd flushed when they were both fully naked, but the mouth on his cock had destroyed any rational thoughts he might have. He moaned softly, writhing under Eren. "L-lube?" He repeated, too caught up in the moment to realize he'd spoken. What was lube for? Oh; right. He shook his head in dismay. He hadn't had sex in five years. Anything he'd had would be long gone.

”That’s alright~” Eren merely grinned and began to suck on his own two fingers lewdly, swirling his tongue all over them and trying to give him a show. He had no idea how he learned all this when he could only recall being rammed into violently, but he was pleased with himself to be apparently making Levi a mess. Once he thought it was wet enough, he gently prodded a finger inside the man’s entrance, making sure to lick at his cock while he did so for a distraction.

Levi stared, fascinated by Eren sucking on his own fingers. There was just something erotic about it. He didn't even know what Eren was planning to do next; he was just really enjoying the sight. The sudden dipping of the teen's head and wetness on his cock made him throw his head back, which meant he wasn't prepared when a slick finger suddenly worked its way into his entrance. He sucked in a harsh breath as his eyes shut tight. This was a completely new experience for him.

So this was Levi’s first experience with anal it seemed, he would do his best to be gentle and not put him through what he had. He waited for the man to relax around his finger before he started to wiggle around, in and out to stretch him out. After a few minutes he added a second finger, his mouth still teasing his cock to keep any pain he might feel at bay. He then pulled it in all the way to the back of his throat, staring up at him with lust.

There was so much pleasure coupled with the burn of having Eren's finger inside him that he'd forgotten to be self-conscious about his scars. He didn't even feel the burn scars stretching as he fought not to buck against the teen's mouth. A fight that he lost the moment he felt his cock brush the back of Eren's throat. 

Eren coughed in surprise, he wasn’t expecting the buck at all. He recovered fast enough and continued to suck on him eagerly, a third finger entering him. He was trying to read the signs as he did all this to him, how would he know Levi wanted him inside if he couldn’t talk? He would just hope to spot the signs.

The older male moaned loudly; Eren was getting so much sound from him, sound that he didn't know he was capable of making. He moved his hips slowly, not wanting to choke Eren again. The pleasure of the teen's mouth was so intense, and now that he'd gotten used to the fingers moving inside him he was drowning in pleasure. He wanted Eren to be getting pleasure too, though. Opening his eyes, he looked down at the male, tugging gently on the teen's hair, trying to convey that he was ready now. Ready for both of them to have the pleasure they wanted.

Levi’s voice sent shivers down his spine, he was really make him use vocals the man thought he had forever lost. He grinned mentally as he sucked and spread him out. When he felt a gentle tug to his hair, he looked up at him. It appeared it was time, he slowly released the cock from his mouth and pulled his fingers out. He lathered his cock for a few seconds with some of the wetness to make it more easier on the male below him. He took a deep breath after he positioned himself, spreading his legs on each side of him. He gripped his hips, looking him in the eyes as he slowly entered him. He grit his teeth, this felt really amazing and it was hard not to ram himself inside, but he would wait for Levi to get used to it as he panted over him.

Who knew sexual acts would bring his voice around again? If he'd know... no. Even if he'd known, he wouldn't have slept with just anyone. Eren was different; Eren was special. He was falling for the teen. He wanted to love and cherish him, to give him anything he possibly could. Only with this male would he have sex. No one else. A strangled moan sounded in his stretching vocal chords when Eren's cock filled him. It hurt, but it also felt so right. Levi blinked, looking at Eren with eyes full of such love and wonder. 

That look Levi was giving him melted his heart, he returned the same look, it wasn’t hard when he felt such love for the man that saved him. After the long shared look between them, he began to move his hips slowly; nearly doubling over at the feeling of him squeezed around his cock.

Receiving the look he was giving Eren made his heart skip a couple beats. And when the teen started to move his mouth fell open in a soundless cry. The slide of Eren's cock inside his body felt so good. He bucked his hips toward Eren. "M-more." He rasped, struggling to use his long gone voice.

Eren gulped dryly when he heard Levi actually voice something, it was so close to hearing his real voice and he was really progressing with bringing it back like he hoped. He gripped his hips tighter and began to move faster and a bit harder.

Levi's eyes rolled back in his head from the pleasure. He clawed at the bed, tightening his hands on the sheets. His mouth was open so that he could pant, and every now and again some small sound would work its way from his throat. With each thrust, he tried to get Eren even deeper.

Seeing Levi like this under him was making his mind spin, the sight, the sounds and the pleasure were all too much. Finally, he snapped and raised Levi’s hips off the bed and began to slam himself inside the man, over and over. His moans increased in volume and pitch, he didn’t know how long he could last like this.

The new angle and the speed at which Eren was moving was so much better than he'd ever though possible. The teen's cock hit something inside him and pleasure exploded though his entire body. He cried out, gripping the bed tighter. As that spot of pleasure was hit again and again, he felt the coil of heat in his body getting ever tighter. When it suddenly snapped, he cried Eren's name brokenly, spilling cum down his body.

Eren gasped loudly when he heard his name escape the man’s lips, that must have been his breaking point. For right after hearing that, he came violently inside him, shaking as he rode out his orgasm. When he was spent, he let Levi go and pulled out slowly. He let out a soft moan before collapsing beside him.

He whined when Eren pulled out. Panting heavily, he lay on his back and look up at the ceiling. That had been amazing. He hoped the teen had enjoyed it as much as he had. It sounded like it, but he wanted to make sure. Slowly rolling onto his side, he reached out to stroke Eren's face.

Eren turned to face him in return, trying to regain his breathing as he leaned into the hand on his face. “T-that was amazing…I’m glad…I got to hear more of your voice…and you said my name.” He smiled at him before pulling him into his arms. There was now another wonderful feeling happening right now he didn’t know how to explain, was it called afterglow?

Levi smiled and snuggled against Eren. "Y-u r orth tal-ng for." He grimaced suddenly, hating the fact that his voice went in and out on that sentence. It was understandable, since he hadn't talked in so very long, but he would have liked to actually make sense. He sighed and kissed Eren's neck, deciding he was going to have to try talking as often as he could now.

It took a moment, but Eren understood what Levi said, he smiled brightly and shuddered when his neck was kissed. He nuzzled into his hair. “I really do love hearing you talk…it sounds like you have this really cool smooth sexy voice.” He chuckled, humming softly after. “I love you.” He whispered into his ear and kissed it softly. 

*Smooth?* Levi mouthed. Did he have a smooth voice? He couldn't even remember what he sounded like anymore. Right now he thought he just sounded raspy and broken. But if Eren liked it, he'd keep trying until he could talk normally again. He yawned. "L-ve ou."

Eren grinned from ear to ear, squeezing the man lightly. “I love you too!” He practically squeaked out in excitement over hearing those words, he swore he could never get tired of hearing that. It would probably make his heart melt every time. He yawned then too, his tiredness finally catching up to him. “I guess we should sleep now.” He said, closing his eyes and was knocked out in a few seconds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all we wrote on this one. It was designed to be short and sweet, with many feels. I hope y'all enjoyed.


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